hush money

American  

noun

1. a bribe to keep someone silent about something, especially to keep the receiver from exposing a scandal.

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hush money British  

noun

1. slang money given to a person, such as an accomplice, to ensure that something is kept secret

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hush money Idioms  

1. A bribe paid to keep something secret, as in No amount of hush money will keep that scandal from coming out. [c. 1700]

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Etymology

Origin of hush money

First recorded in 1700–10

Example Sentences

Hellerstein has also tangled with Donald Trump, rejecting a request by the US president to have his New York hush money case moved to federal court.

From Barron's • Mar. 24, 2026

Bove represented Trump last year in his New York trial over hush money payments, and he was named acting deputy attorney general when Trump was sworn in.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 17, 2025

The justice was also scheduled to issue his own decision about how the Supreme Court’s immunity decision impacts the hush money case on Sept. 16.

From Slate • Sep. 6, 2024

Ivanka Trump was a no-show during the former president’s weeks-long hush money trial.

From Salon • May 31, 2024

The complicated chain of events, known as the Watergate scandal, included hush money and destroyed evidence.

From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge

Related Words

• kickback