hush money

American  

noun

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

---

hush money British  

noun

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

---

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]

---

Etymology

Origin of hush money

First recorded in 1700–10

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hush money

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

Also Friday, Judge Juan Merchan in Manhattan is set to sentence President Elect Donald Trump in the hush money trial.

From Slate ● Jan. 9, 2025

She said it had felt like "hush money".

From BBC ● Dec. 9, 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