A Gratuity An additional payment given freely as thanks for service. Euphemistic form of fee, in contextswhere such additional payments havebeen made obligatory. Euphemistic form of bribe. Synonyms (additional payment offered in thanks):douceur, grace, pourboire, tip; baksheesh(Turkish and Middle Eastern contexts); cumshaw (SE Chinese contexts; archaic) (obligatory fee): service charge; douceur, tip(euphemistic) (bribe):{:} (additional gift from a vendor): lagniappe