blood money
Americannoun
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a fee paid to a hired murderer.
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compensation paid to the next of kin of a slain person.
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money obtained ruthlessly and at a cost of suffering to others.
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money paid to an informer in order to cause somebody to be arrested, convicted, or especially executed.
noun
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compensation paid to the relatives of a murdered person
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money paid to a hired murderer
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a reward for information about a criminal, esp a murderer
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
For months, Nimisha's relatives and supporters have been trying to do this by raising diyah, or blood money, to be paid to Mahdi's family, and negotiations have been going on.
From BBC • Jan. 3, 2025
More progressive voices like powerful film critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert joined the public chorus of outrage, denouncing "Silent Night, Deadly Night" as "blood money" because of how it would supposedly upset audiences.
From Salon • Oct. 14, 2023
Critics say the players are essentially taking blood money.
From Seattle Times • Sep. 15, 2022
Those seeking to bring blood money into Britain, however, need not have looked too far.
From Washington Post • Jul. 15, 2022
“My country pays me a little blood money every month in exchange for my leg.”
From "Pax" by Sara Pennypacker
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
