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Synonyms

buy off

British  

verb

  1. (tr, adverb) to pay (a person or group) to drop a charge, end opposition, relinquish a claim, etc

"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
buy off Idioms  

  1. Pay to get rid of a claim or opposition, or to avoid prosecution, as in He was caught trying to buy off the opposing candidate. [First half of 1600s]

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.

See Examples For:

Is this a reasonable amount, or just enough to buy off the powerful bike lobby?

From Seattle Times ● May 15, 2024

Pecker testified—as Cohen will—that Pecker, Trump, and Cohen agreed in late 2015 to buy off and kill salacious stories that could damage Trump’s campaign.

From Slate ● May 8, 2024

Nothing you buy off the rack is going to be perfect.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2023

But these groups also target non-English speakers, presuming that they'd rather buy off the caller who claims to be with the cops instead of attracting undesired attention.

From Salon ● Aug. 27, 2023

“It is cheaper to buy off foes with food and gifts.”

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin

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.

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