bonus
Top
(bō'nəs) 
n., pl., -nus·es.
n., pl., -nus·es.
- Something given or paid in addition to what is usual or expected.
- A sum of money or an equivalent given to an employee in addition to the employee's usual compensation.
- A sum of money in addition to salary that is given to a professional athlete for signing up with a team.
- A subsidy from a government to an industry.
- A sum of money paid by a government to a war veteran.
- A premium, as of stock, that is given by a corporation to another party, such as a purchaser of its securities.
- A sum of money that is paid by a corporation in excess of interest or royalties charged for the granting of a privilege or a loan to that corporation.
- Basketball. An additional free throw awarded to a player who has been fouled when the opposing team has committed more than a specified number of fouls during a period of play.
[From Latin, good.]
Top
1. compensation paid to an employee or employees for achieving a particular sales goal or organizational objective. This is above and beyond either a commission or a salary. A corporation achieving a 10% increase in profits may distribute part of the earnings as a bonus to its employees.
2. an unexpected benefit occurring as the result of making a particular action.
| Bonded Goods, Bonded Debt, Bond Rating | |
| Book, Book Inventory, Book Value |
Roget's Thesaurus:
Top
bonus
noun
- A sum of money offered for a special service, such as the apprehension of a criminal: bounty, reward. See law, reward/punish/deserve.
Antonyms by Answers.com:
Top
bonus
n
Definition: benefit
Antonyms: disadvantage
n
Definition: extra payment
Antonyms: penalty
Columbia Encyclopedia:
Top
bonus
bonus, extra amount in money, bonds, or goods over what is normally due. The term is applied especially to payments to employees either for production in excess of the normal (wage incentive) or as a share of surplus profits. The wage incentive was designed during the late 19th cent. not only to increase production but to reward the more skillful and more energetic workers. The hourly or weekly wage was to be figured as payment for a standard rate of work, and the workers who exceeded that standard were to receive a bonus. However, the system fell into disfavor with labor unions because rate cutting was often resorted to when bonuses became too high. Industrial engineers of the 1930s realized that definite standards of accomplishment and quality must be set to make wage incentives workable. Many firms have used an annual bonus plan for distributing abnormal profits to employees. The term is also applied to payments to former servicemen in addition to regular pensions and insurance. Veterans of World War I lobbied to obtain a bonus for their military service. In 1924 each veteran received an adjusted compensation certificate entitling him to a payment averaging $1,000 to be made in 1945. In 1932 about 15,000 unemployed veterans formed the "Bonus Expeditionary Force," or Bonus Marchers, and marched to Washington to demand immediate payment of the certificates. President Hoover ordered troops to oust them from federal property. In 1936 Congress passed a law permitting the veterans to exchange their certificates for cashable bonds. A number of states voted veterans' bonuses after World War II and the Korean War.
Bibliography
See W. W. Waters, B.E.F.: The Whole Story of the Bonus Army (1933, repr. 1969); V. D. Kennedy, Union Policy and Incentive Wage Methods (1945, repr. 1969); J. K. Louden, Wage Incentives (2d ed. 1959); R. Marriott, Incentive Payment Systems (3d rev. ed. 1968).
Top
1. Additional compensation given to an employee above his/her normal wage. A bonus can be used as a reward for achieving specific goals set by the company, or for dedication to the company.
2. Dividends paid to shareholders from funds created out of additional profits realized by the company.
3. A premium paid for accepting an agreement. Sometimes referred to as a "signing bonus".
4. Anything over and above what is expected.
Investopedia Says:
1. Bonuses can add up to the majority of some employees' compensation. For example, Goldman Sachs CEO L. Blankfein received $68 million in cash and stock as a 2007 bonus, but only made $600,000 in salary. Due to these high amounts, corporate compensation is public information in public companies.
2. These bonus dividends are paid to specific shareholders. The board of directors would approve payment, and can also decide to stop dividends at its discretion.
3. Signing bonuses are used as an incentive to obtain employees or contracts. The initial payment is designed to entice the signing of an agreement that will cost the company more now for higher future benefits.
4. A realized benefit that was not intended or planned.
Related Links:
Make sure you assess whether a CEO has a stake in doing a good job for you, the shareholder. Lifting the Lid On CEO Compensation
Find out what it takes to get a spot in these ultra-lucrative areas of finance. How To Make $1 Million In Finance
Learn about this hidden perk and why it's often bad news for investors. A Close-Up On Gross Ups
Find out how to get more than money from your employer. Negotiating For Employment Perks
Explore arguments for and against company dividend policy, and learn how companies determine how much to pay out.
How And Why Do Companies Pay Dividends?
Discover the issues that complicate these payouts for investors. Dividend Facts You May Not Know
Avoid paying excess taxes by learning some simple transfer rules. Common IRA Rollover Mistakes
Word Tutor:
Top
bonus
IN BRIEF: An additional reward; something extra.
With the bonus my mom got at work, she bought me extra nice birthday gifts.
LearnThatWord.com is a free vocabulary and spelling program where you only pay for results!
Random House Word Menu:
Top
categories related to 'bonus'
- Corporations and Business Practices - bonus: payment over and above salary given to employee, esp. executive, as incentive or reward
- Labor - bonus: amount above regular salary given as reward or for motivation
- Mortgages and Financing - bonus: amount above interest charged for loan on transfer of property
- General Sports Terminology
See crossword solutions for the clue Translations:
Top
Bonus
Dansk (Danish)
n. - bonus, tilgift
Nederlands (Dutch)
bonus, extraatje, bof
Français (French)
n. - prime, coup de chance, bonus, gratification, (Comm) prime, (GB, Fin) dividende exceptionnel, bonification
Deutsch (German)
n. - Bonus, Prämie, Gratifikation, Zulage, Pluspunkt
Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - δώρο (μισθωτού), μπόνους, έκτακτο/πρόσθετο μέρισμα
Italiano (Italian)
fortuna, gratifica, bonus, soprassoldo
Português (Portuguese)
n. - bônus (m)
Español (Spanish)
n. - suerte, ganga, bonificación, extra, gratificación
Svenska (Swedish)
n. - bonus, extrabetalning, tillägg
中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
奖金, 红利
中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 獎金, 紅利
한국어 (Korean)
n. - 상여금, 할증금, 경품
日本語 (Japanese)
n. - ボーナス, 賞与, 特別配当金, 利益配当金, 思いがけない贈り物, 景品, おまけ
العربيه (Arabic)
(الاسم) علاوة, مكافأة, اكراميه
עברית (Hebrew)
n. - הטבה, בונוס
If you are unable to view some languages clearly, click here.
Post a question - any question - to the WikiAnswers community:
Copyrights:
American Heritage Dictionary
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Read more
Barron's Business Dictionary
Dictionary of Business Terms. Copyright © 2007 by Barron's Educational Series, Inc. All rights reserved.
Read more
Roget's Thesaurus
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary Copyright © 1995 byHoughton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Read more
Columbia Encyclopedia
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/.
Read more
Investopedia Financial Dictionary
Copyright ©2010, Investopedia.com - Owned and Operated by Investopedia US, A Division of ValueClick, Inc. All rights reserved.
Read more
Word Tutor
Copyright © 2004-present by eSpindle Learning, a 501(c) nonprofit organization. All rights reserved.
eSpindle provides personalized spelling and vocabulary tutoring online; sign up free. Read more
eSpindle provides personalized spelling and vocabulary tutoring online; sign up free. Read more
Random House Word Menu
© 2010 Write Brothers Inc. Word Menu is a registered trademark of the Estate of Stephen Glazier.
Write Brothers Inc.
All rights reserved.
Read more
Bradford's Crossword Solver's Dictionary
Collins Bradford's Crossword Solver's Dictionary © Anne Bradford, 1986, 1993, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2008
HarperCollins Publishers
All rights reserved.
Read more
