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ill-gotten gains

Idioms  

  1. Benefits obtained in an evil manner or by dishonest means, as in They duped their senile uncle into leaving them a fortune and are now enjoying their ill-gotten gains. [Mid-1800s]

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.

The days when dictators could live in gilded exile with fortunes in secret Swiss bank accounts are mostly over, primarily because of global mechanisms for adjudicating human-rights abuses and tracking ill-gotten gains.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 26, 2025

Constance added that since 2008 more than £156m of "ill-gotten gains" had been distributed through the CashBack for Communities scheme, supporting 1.4m young people.

From BBC • Aug. 20, 2025

Federal prosecutors and securities regulators in Los Angeles announced charges Friday against prominent short-seller Andrew Left, alleging he made millions of dollars of ill-gotten gains.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 6, 2025

As quickly as possible, the crew wrapped up their ill-gotten gains and made for the exit as the four guardians wailed pleas and threats and curses behind them.

From Slate • Dec. 15, 2024

Didn’t scoundrels usually have ill-gotten gains lying around somewhere?

From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson

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.