# bonus

Pronunciation: say "BOH-nuhs" US /ˈboʊ.nəs/, UK /ˈbəʊ.nəs/

## Noun

1. An extra advantage or benefit that comes in addition to what was already expected.
   - Simple: Something extra and good that you get on top of what you expected.
   - _Living close to the office is a real bonus during winter._
   - _The job offered great pay, and the flexible hours were an added bonus._
2. An extra sum of money given as a premium or reward, such as to an employee or a shareholder.
   - Simple: Extra money paid to a worker or owner on top of the usual amount.
   - _The firm paid each employee a generous holiday bonus._
   - _Shareholders received a bonus on top of their usual dividends._
3. Extra points added to a player's score based on performance, such as for time remaining at the end of a level.
   - Simple: Extra points added to your score for playing well in a game.
   - _Players earn a bonus for every enemy defeated before the timer runs out._
   - _Finishing each stage without dying adds a large bonus to the final score._
4. One or more free throws awarded to a team once the opposing team has committed a set number of fouls.
   - Simple: Free throws a team gets when the other team makes too many fouls.
   - _Once the fouls piled up, the visitors were shooting in the bonus._
   - _Drawing contact in the bonus, she went to the line for two shots._

## Verb

5. To pay a person or body an extra sum as a reward or incentive, especially on top of regular wages.
   - Simple: To pay someone extra money as a reward or to encourage something.
   - _Management chose to bonus the engineers who delivered ahead of schedule._
   - _The bank bonused its top traders despite a difficult quarter._

## Origin

Borrowed from Latin bonus ("good"), and a doublet of bona.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/bonus (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).