slush fund

noun

1. a sum of money used for illicit or corrupt political purposes, as for buying influence.
2. Nautical. a fund from the sale of slush, refuse fat, etc., spent for any small luxuries.

slush fund

noun

1. a fund for financing political or commercial corruption
2. nautical a fund accumulated from the sale of slush from the galley

slush fund

1. A collection of money by a political official or administration that is used to make payments for various services. Though slush funds may be used for legitimate purposes, such as paying state employees, the term is generally used to describe money that is not properly accounted for and is being used for personal expenses and political payoffs. Money raised for political campaigns has come under increasing public scrutiny to ensure that it is not misused.

Word History and Origins

Origin of slush fund¹

First recorded in 1855–60

Example Sentences

“Police chiefs just have these slush funds they can do whatever they want with,” Livingstone said.

From ProPublica

He said giving the FTC so much money without a federal privacy law in place, could become — quote — “nothing more than a socialist slush fund.”

From Digiday

Your paycheck is not a slush fund for your employer to dip into to keep its books balanced.

From Washington Post

The complaint further alleges that Glock had a personal slush fund that he used to “cavort with women around the world.”

From The Daily Beast

Again it appears that the governor was using Sandy aid as a political slush fund.

From The Daily Beast

Take Richard Nixon, who as a senator in the early 1950s, was aided by a donor-funded campaign slush fund.

From The Daily Beast

And it became a slush fund for those beloved social programs.

From The Daily Beast

While USAID turned into a slush fund for Dobson, Powell remained the good soldier, loyal to White House orders.

From The Daily Beast

Plunder-bund is now at least as good as pork-barrel and slush-fund, and money-bund is frequently heard in Congress.

From Project Gutenberg

The fund kept or raised for this purpose has always been known as the "slush fund."

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• graft
• hush money