blood money
a fee paid to a hired murderer.
compensation paid to the next of kin of a slain person.
money obtained ruthlessly and at a cost of suffering to others.
money paid to an informer in order to cause somebody to be arrested, convicted, or especially executed.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use blood money in a sentence
They have the right to demand either execution or “blood money,” a hefty ransom that spares the life of the accused.
As he handed out blood money, Weston writes about not having the answer then—or now.
Iraq War 10th Anniversary: What Does Fiasco Mean? | John Kael Weston | March 18, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTThe mother was adamant: she would not accept blood money for the death of her child.
Friends Speak Out on Iranian Blogger Sattar Beheshti’s Alleged Torture | Omid Memarian | November 15, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTAnd I love the juxtaposition of the tenderness and the gentleness with his daughter and showing her this blood money.
Bryan Cranston Picks 13 Favorite ‘Breaking Bad’ Moments | Bryan Cranston | July 12, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTA trailer for yet another anti-Romney film, called “blood money.”
Republican Political Ads in Florida: Why Romney's Are Best | Judith Grey | January 28, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
"I have it here," said the boss, and he took the blood-money bank-roll from his pocket and removed the rubber band.
The Wreckers | Francis LyndeI think he was glad as it was blood money in a way (if you can call a moustache blood) that it should go back to Maitland.
The Romance of His Life | Mary CholmondeleyCan you not see that, in one sense, in a sort of way, it is almost like blood-money?
Mrs. Dorriman, Volume 3 of 3 | Julie Bosville ChetwyndWhat's your percentage of the blood-money, Mr. Harrington Surtaine?
The Clarion | Samuel Hopkins AdamsThey could not sustain themselves a moment but for the loans made to them by these blood-money loan-mongers.
No Treason, Vol. VI. | Lysander Spooner
British Dictionary definitions for blood money
compensation paid to the relatives of a murdered person
money paid to a hired murderer
a reward for information about a criminal, esp a murderer
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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