Incentive
noun
Definition
Something that encourages a person to do something, such as a reward or benefit.
Context Alive
The company was struggling to keep its best employees. To solve this, management offered a generous incentive — a year-end bonus for anyone who stayed. It worked. Within weeks, resignations dropped and the team felt more valued than ever.
Meanings
1 meaning
1
Something That Encourages Action (Noun)
Very Common
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This meaning is about something that pushes you to take action. It’s usually a reward or benefit. Imagine your boss announces a cash incentive for the team that hits their sales target first. Suddenly everyone starts working harder. This is an incentive — a reason to act. You might offer an incentive to encourage early sign-ups, or a school could give incentives like extra credit to boost attendance. Or picture a gym offering a free month as an incentive for bringing a friend along. The word carries a sense of motivation and reward. ✏️ An incentive doesn’t have to be money — it can be anything like praise, time off, or even a simple thank-you.
Vivid ExampleThe store was losing customers to online shopping. The manager introduced a special incentive — a loyalty card offering 20% off every fifth purchase. Regulars loved it, and foot traffic increased within weeks.
Examples from the Street
“There’s no incentive to work harder if the pay stays the same.”
There’s no reason or motivation to put in more effort when the salary doesn’t change
“They offered a cash incentive to get people to sign up early.”
They gave a money bonus to encourage people to register before the deadline
“What incentive do I have to stay?”
What reason or benefit would make it worth my while to remain?
Common Patterns
incentive to [verb] → a reason or motivation to do something
have/there’s no incentive to [verb] → there’s no reason or benefit that would motivate action
give/provide/offer [someone] an incentive → create a reason for someone to act
a strong/powerful/real incentive → a compelling reason to do something
little/no incentive → almost no reason to act
financial/cash/tax incentive → money-related rewards designed to encourage behaviour
incentive scheme/programme/package → a structured system of rewards
offer/introduce incentives → put rewards in place to encourage a desired action
performance/bonus incentive → reward linked to how well someone does
incentive for [noun/someone] → a reward aimed at a specific group
Collocations
4 collocationsfinancial incentive
a money-based motivation to act
strong incentive
a powerful reason to do something
tax incentive
a tax benefit that encourages behaviour
incentive to work
motivation to put in effort
Example Sentences
12 examples
1
There’s no incentive to finish early if we still have to stay until five o’clock
There’s no point in completing the work ahead of time if we’re stuck here until the end of the day regardless.
2
The government introduced tax incentives to encourage businesses to hire young people
The authorities brought in financial breaks to motivate companies to take on younger workers.
3
The company offered a cash incentive to employees who met their targets by the end of the quarter
The business gave a money bonus to staff who hit their goals before the three-month deadline.
4
What incentive do workers have to stay loyal when they’re constantly underpaid?
Why would employees bother remaining faithful to a company that consistently pays them less than they deserve?
5
The new incentive scheme rewards staff with extra holiday days for high performance
The updated reward programme gives employees additional time off when they deliver outstanding results.
6
Fear of losing his job was a powerful incentive to improve his attendance
The prospect of being sacked was a compelling reason for him to start showing up on time.
7
There’s little incentive for landlords to renovate when they can charge high rents regardless
Property owners have almost no motivation to upgrade their buildings when tenants will pay top prices anyway.
8
Free gym membership was offered as an incentive to attract new employees
Complimentary access to a fitness centre was used as a perk to draw in fresh recruits.
9
The financial incentives weren’t enough to convince doctors to move to rural areas
The money-based rewards weren’t sufficient to persuade medical professionals to relocate to the countryside.
10
She provided a real incentive for the team by promising a group dinner if they hit their deadline
She gave the group genuine motivation by pledging a meal out together if they finished on time.
Learner Examples
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Offering students a real incentive — like choosing the topic for the next lesson — works better than just telling them to study harder
Giving learners a genuine reward — such as letting them pick what the class covers next — is more effective than simply demanding more effort.
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Students have little incentive to practise speaking outside the classroom if nobody around them speaks English
Learners have almost no motivation to work on their conversation skills beyond lessons when there’s no one in their daily life who uses the language.
Synonyms & Antonyms
6 items
Synonymsmotivation
reason to act
reward
something given in return
encouragement
push to do something
stimulus
trigger for action
Antonymsdeterrent
discourages action
disincentive
reason not to act