hush money

noun

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

hush money

noun

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of hush money¹

First recorded in 1700–10

Idioms and Phrases

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

Example Sentences

Over the years, the women received hush money payouts from the network or Bill O’Reilly totaling $13 million, about half of what the network paid their abuser a few weeks before his 2017 vacation.

Read more on Salon

She alleges that he pressured her to drink while underage and gave her massages, and that Nickelodeon offered her hush money to not talk about her experiences.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

His brief appearance drew more people than the number that attended the public gallery in the same courtroom last year for President Donald Trump’s hush money trial.

Read more on BBC

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.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Trump was found guilty of falsifying records to disguise reimbursements for a $130,000 hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels as legal expenses in 2016.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• kickback