Adjacent Words

Reward definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

REWARD', v.t. a as aw. [[L. re, denoting return.]
To give in return, either good or evil.
Thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil. 2 Samuel 24.
Hence, when good is returned for good, reward signifies to repay, to recompense, to compensate. When evil or suffering is return for injury or wickedness, reward signifies to punish with just retribution, to take vengeance on, according to the nature of the case.
I will render vengeance to my enemies; and will reward them that hate me. Deutoronomy 32.
The Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father, with his angels, and then he shall reward every man according to his works. Matthew 16.
In the latter passage, reward signifies to render with good and evil.
REWARD', n.
1. Recompense, or equivalent return for good done, for kindness, for services and the like. Rewards may consist of money, goods or any return of kindness or happiness.
The laborer is worthy of his reward. 1 Timothy 5.
Great is your reward in heaven. Matthew 5.
Rewards and punishments presuppose moral agency, and something voluntarily done, well or ill; without which respect, though we may receive good, it is only a benefit and not a reward.
2. The fruit of men's labor or works.
The dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward. Ecclesiastes 9.
3. A bribe; a gift to pervert justice. Deutoronomy 27.
4. A sum of money offered for taking or detecting a criminal, or for recovery of any thing lost.
5. Punishment; a just return of evil or suffering for wickedness.
Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. Psalms 91.
6. Return in human applause. Matthew 6.
7. Return in joy and comfort. Psalms 19.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a recompense for worthy acts or retribution for wrongdoing; "the wages of sin is death"; "virtue is its own reward" [syn: wages, reward, payoff]
2: payment made in return for a service rendered
3: an act performed to strengthen approved behavior [syn: reward, reinforcement]
4: the offer of money for helping to find a criminal or for returning lost property
5: benefit resulting from some event or action; "it turned out to my advantage"; "reaping the rewards of generosity" [syn: advantage, reward] [ant: penalty] v
1: bestow honor or rewards upon; "Today we honor our soldiers"; "The scout was rewarded for courageous action" [syn: honor, honour, reward] [ant: attaint, disgrace, dishonor, dishonour, shame]
2: strengthen and support with rewards; "Let's reinforce good behavior" [syn: reinforce, reward]
3: act or give recompense in recognition of someone's behavior or actions [syn: reward, repay, pay back]

Merriam Webster's

I. transitive verb Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French regarder, rewarder to look back at, regard, care for, recompense — more at regard Date: 14th century 1. to give a reward to or for 2. recompense • rewardable adjective • rewarder noun II. noun Date: 14th century 1. something that is given in return for good or evil done or received or that is offered or given for some service or attainment <the police offered a reward for his capture> 2. a stimulus administered to an organism following a correct or desired response that increases the probability of occurrence of the response

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. 1 a a return or recompense for service or merit. b requital for good or evil; retribution. 2 a sum offered for the detection of a criminal, the restoration of lost property, etc. --v.tr. give a reward to (a person) or for (a service etc.). Derivatives: rewardless adj. Etymology: ME f. AF, ONF reward = OF reguard REGARD

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Reward Re*ward", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Rewarded; p. pr. & vb. n. Rewarding.] [OF. rewarder, another form of regarder, of German origin. The original sense is, to look at, regard, hence, to regard as worthy, give a reward to. See Ward, Regard.] To give in return, whether good or evil; -- commonly in a good sense; to requite; to recompense; to repay; to compensate. After the deed that is done, one doom shall reward, Mercy or no mercy as truth will accord. --Piers Plowman. Thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil. --1 Sam. xxiv. 17. I will render vengeance to mine enemies, and will reward them that hate me. --Deut. xxxii. 41. God rewards those that have made use of the single talent. --Hammond.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Reward Re*ward", n. [See Reward, v., and cf. Regard, n.] 1. Regard; respect; consideration. [Obs.] Take reward of thine own value. --Chaucer. 2. That which is given in return for good or evil done or received; esp., that which is offered or given in return for some service or attainment, as for excellence in studies, for the return of something lost, etc.; recompense; requital. Thou returnest From flight, seditious angel, to receive Thy merited reward. --Milton. Rewards and punishments do always presuppose something willingly done well or ill. --Hooker. 3. Hence, the fruit of one's labor or works. The dead know not anything, neither have they any more a reward. --Eccl. ix. 5. 4. (Law) Compensation or remuneration for services; a sum of money paid or taken for doing, or forbearing to do, some act. --Burrill. Syn: Recompense; compensation; remuneration; pay; requital; retribution; punishment.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(rewards, rewarding, rewarded) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. A reward is something that you are given, for example because you have behaved well, worked hard, or provided a service to the community. He was given the job as a reward for running a successful leadership bid. N-COUNT: oft N for n 2. A reward is a sum of money offered to anyone who can give information about lost or stolen property or about someone who is wanted by the police. The firm last night offered a £10,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of the killer. N-COUNT 3. If you do something and are rewarded with a particular benefit, you receive that benefit as a result of doing that thing. Make the extra effort to impress the buyer and you will be rewarded with a quicker sale. VERB: be V-ed, also V n 4. The rewards of something are the benefits that you receive as a result of doing or having that thing. The company is only just starting to reap the rewards of long-term investments... N-COUNT: usu pl

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

re-word': In modern English (except when influenced by the Biblical forms) a "reward" is something given in recognition of a good act. In English Versions of the Bible, however, "reward" is used quite generally for anything given, and the term covers the recompense of evil (Ps 91:8), wages (1Ti 5:18 the King James Version), bribes (Mic 7:3), and gifts (Jer 40:5 the King James Version). The Revised Version (British and American) has specialized the meaning in a number of cases (Ps 94:2; Eze 16:34; Jer 40:5, etc.), but not systematically.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. a. Recompense, compensate, requite, remunerate, pay, punish. II. n. 1. Recompense, compensation, guerdon, requital, remuneration, pay. 2. Premium, bonus, bounty. 3. Retribution, punishment, requital.

Moby Thesaurus

Academy Award, Nobel Prize, Oscar, amends, annihilation, atonement, award, bait, bane, biological death, blood money, booby prize, bribe, carrot, cessation of life, clinical death, comeuppance, compensate, compensation, consideration, consolation prize, crossing the bar, curtains, damages, death, death knell, debt of nature, decease, demise, departure, desert, deserts, dissolution, dividend, doom, dying, ebb of life, encouragement, end, end of life, ending, eternal rest, exit, expiration, extinction, extinguishment, favor, fee, fillip, final summons, finger of death, first prize, get satisfaction, going, going off, grave, guerdon, hand of death, honor, honorarium, incentive, incitement, indemnification, indemnify, indemnity, inducement, interest, invitation, jackpot, jaws of death, just deserts, knell, last debt, last muster, last rest, last roundup, last sleep, leaving life, loss of life, lure, make amends, make requital, make restitution, make retribution, making an end, meed, parting, passing, passing away, passing over, pay, pay back, pay by installments, pay off, pay on, payment, percentage, perishing, persuasive, plum, premium, prepay, price, prize, profit, provocation, punishment, quietus, quit, quittance, recompense, redress, release, remit, remunerate, remuneration, render, reparation, repay, reprisal, requital, requite, requitement, rest, restitution, retribution, return, revenge, salary, salvage, satisfaction, satisfy, second prize, sentence of death, shades of death, shadow of death, sleep, smart money, solatium, somatic death, stimulation, stimulative, stimulus, summons of death, sweepstakes, sweetener, sweetening, tender, tribute, wergild, what is due, what is merited, whet