blood money

American  

noun

1. a fee paid to a hired murderer.

2. compensation paid to the next of kin of a slain person.

3. money obtained ruthlessly and at a cost of suffering to others.

4. money paid to an informer in order to cause somebody to be arrested, convicted, or especially executed.

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blood money British  

noun

1. compensation paid to the relatives of a murdered person

2. money paid to a hired murderer

3. a reward for information about a criminal, esp a murderer

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Example Sentences

"The only option is to seek forgiveness from Mahdi's family and negotiate blood money with them."

From BBC • Dec. 5, 2023

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

Put financial planning on the schedule, too, so you can imagine a future without her blood money.

From Washington Post • Oct. 31, 2022

Critics say the players are essentially taking blood money.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 15, 2022

She’d get money to save her farm, sure, but it would be blood money.

From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack