Meaning & use
gratuity
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Meanings
nouncountableformal
Money given to someone, such as a waiter or driver, as thanks for good service beyond the bill.
Grammar: Countable but often used without an article: a 15 percent gratuity, gratuity is included.
Patterns
- a gratuity for something
- leave a gratuity
A 20 percent gratuity is added to parties of six or more.
We left a generous gratuity for the hotel staff.
Gratuities are shared among the kitchen and serving staff.
nouncountableBritishformal
A lump sum paid to an employee or former soldier when leaving service, as a reward.
Grammar: Countable; British usage in public service and military pay.
Patterns
- receive a gratuity
- a retirement gratuity
He received a gratuity on leaving the army.
The company pays a gratuity to workers after five years.
The retirement gratuity was paid in one lump sum.
Word forms
| plural | gratuities |
|---|
Common combinations
- leave a gratuity
- Guests often leave a gratuity at the end of the meal.
- gratuity included
- The menu says gratuity included, so you need not add a tip.
- add a gratuity
- The restaurant adds a gratuity for large groups.
- generous gratuity
- The driver was given a generous gratuity.
- automatic gratuity
- An automatic gratuity of 18 percent applies to groups.
Synonyms and how they differ
- tip
- Tip is the everyday word, while gratuity sounds formal and appears on bills and contracts.
- service charge
- A service charge is added by the business as a fixed fee, while a gratuity is traditionally voluntary.
- bonus
- A bonus is extra pay from an employer, not a customer's thank-you.
- reward
- Reward is broad and may be for any good act, not only for service.
Word family
- gratuitous adjective
- done without good reason, often unnecessarily
- gratuitously adverb
- in an unnecessary way
- gratis adjective
- free of charge
- gratitude noun
- thankfulness, from the same Latin root
- grateful adjective
- feeling thanks
Commonly confused: gratuity or gratuitous? gratuity or gratitude?
gratuity vs gratuitous
Gratuitous means unnecessary or without reason, often used for violence; a gratuity is a tip.
gratuity vs gratitude
Gratitude is the feeling of thanks, whereas a gratuity is a payment.
Practice
The bill says 'gratuity included.' What does this mean?
Choose one answer.
Gratuity is a formal word for a tip, so 'included' means it is already added. Nothing in the phrase concerns free food, tax or payment type.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “gratuity”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.