Meanings
plural gratuities
- An additional payment given freely as thanks for service.
cash gratuity
4 more examples
service gratuity
leave with a gratuity
The waiter received a generous gratuity.
The company gave each employee a retirement gratuity.
Synonyms: douceur, perquisite, grace, pourboire, tip, baksheesh, cumshaw, benefaction
- euphemisticEuphemistic form of fee, in contexts where such additional payments have been made obligatory.
Restaurants in places such as Kansas City, Atlanta and Philadelphia have begun adding automatic 20% gratuities to checks, during the tournament, according to industry groups and restaurant operators.
2026 June 20, Trista Panagakos, Jeanne Erickson, “World Cup tourists aren't leaving tips — and NYC restaurants are fighting back”, in NY PostSynonyms: service charge, douceur, tip
- euphemisticEuphemistic form of bribe.
Synonyms: backhander, bribe, bung, payoff, coffee money, cold drink money, dash, douceur
Synonyms & antonyms
nounAn additional payment given freely as thanks for service.
nounEuphemistic form of fee, in contexts where such additional payments have been made obligatory.
nounEuphemistic form of bribe.
More synonyms by meaning
nouna relatively small amount of money given for services rendered (as by a waiter)
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latingratuitus“freely given, free”
- Medieval Latingratuitas“a free gift”
- Old Frenchgratuite
- Middle Frenchgratuité
- Englishgratuity
From Middle French gratuité (from Old French gratuite) or directly from Medieval Latin gratuitas (“a free gift”), from Latin gratuitus (“freely given, free”); see gratuitous.
More words from Middle French, Old French, Medieval Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian паричен подарък
- паричен подарък (paričen podarăk)reward provided freely, without obligation
Czech spropitné, dýško
- spropitnéreward provided freely, without obligation
- dýškoreward provided freely, without obligation
- diškrecereward provided freely, without obligation
Dutch fooi
- fooireward provided freely, without obligation
Esperanto trinkmono
- trinkmonoreward provided freely, without obligation
Estonian jootraha
- jootrahareward provided freely, without obligation
Finnish juomaraha
- juomarahareward provided freely, without obligation
French pourboire
- pourboirereward provided freely, without obligation
German Zuwendung, Geldgeschenk
- Zuwendungreward provided freely, without obligation
- Geldgeschenkreward provided freely, without obligation
- Gratifikationreward provided freely, without obligation
Hindi उपदान
- उपदान (updān)reward provided freely, without obligation
Hungarian borravaló, hálapénz
- borravalóreward provided freely, without obligation
- hálapénzreward provided freely, without obligation
Italian mancia
- manciareward provided freely, without obligation
Latin dōnātīvum
- dōnātīvumreward provided freely, without obligation
Persian انعام, شتل
- انعام (en'âm)reward provided freely, without obligation
- شتل (šatal)reward provided freely, without obligation
Polish napiwek
- napiwekreward provided freely, without obligation
Portuguese gorjeta
- gorjetareward provided freely, without obligation
Romanian bacșiș
- bacșișreward provided freely, without obligation
Russian бонус
- бонус (bonus)reward provided freely, without obligation
Spanish dádiva, gratificación
- dádivareward provided freely, without obligation
- gratificaciónreward provided freely, without obligation
- propinareward provided freely, without obligation
- yapareward provided freely, without obligation
- ñapareward provided freely, without obligation
- llapareward provided freely, without obligation
- ipegüereward provided freely, without obligation
Ukrainian чайові́
- чайові́ (čajoví)reward provided freely, without obligation
Cite this entry
gratuity. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gratuity
“gratuity.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gratuity. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “gratuity,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gratuity.
Source: gratuity on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.