ill-gotten
Americanadjective
adjective
Etymology
Origin of ill-gotten
First recorded in 1545–55
Explanation
If you acquire something in a dishonest way — by stealing it, for example — it's ill-gotten. When a bully pressures classmates to hand over their lunch money, the bully might go home that day with a pocket full of ill-gotten quarters. You'll often find this adjective in the phrase "ill-gotten gains," a general description of anything that's obtained unethically. The CEO of a company who embezzles money from it might be caught with a bank account full of ill-gotten gains, and pawn shops are places where criminals sometimes sell the ill-gotten gains they've stolen. If your dog steals your dinner off the kitchen table, you can describe it as his ill-gotten steak.
Vocabulary lists containing ill-gotten
A Clockwork Orange
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The Detective's Assistant
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Aru Shah and the End of Time
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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.
North Korea steals crypto to generate funds for the regime, and deploys its own bankers globally to launder ill-gotten gains, U.S. officials say.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 21, 2026
A Cambodian conglomerate whose founder has had more than $15 billion of allegedly ill-gotten assets seized said it "categorically rejects" claims he amassed his fortune running an internet scam empire.
From Barron's ● Nov. 12, 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
The lawsuit seeks an injunction barring any further violations of the law, forfeiture of ill-gotten gains, restitution to repay consumers and monetary penalties.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 7, 2025
Where had Mrs. Maroney hidden that ill-gotten money?
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
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.
