Bounty means abundance or generous supply. When farmers bring in a huge harvest after months of careful work, they celebrate the bounty of crops: baskets overflowing with apples, fields full of wheat, gardens bursting with tomatoes and corn. The Thanksgiving holiday originated partly as a celebration of the autumn bounty, when colonists and Native Americans gathered to give thanks for plentiful food.

The word suggests plenty, often more than expected. A library might offer a bounty of books on every subject imaginable. A talented artist might create a bounty of paintings in a single productive year.

Bounty also means a reward offered for capturing someone or achieving something difficult. In the Old West, sheriffs posted bounties for the capture of outlaws: whoever brought in the criminal would receive the reward money. Today, some organizations offer bounties for finding computer security flaws or reporting invasive species. A bounty hunter is someone who tracks down fugitives for these rewards.