money talks

Idioms

Wealth has great influence, as in Big contributors to campaigns are generally rewarded with important posts—in politics money talks. The idea behind this idiom was stated by Euripides in the fifth century b.c., and some 2,000 years later Erasmus spoke of “the talking power of money” (Adagia, 1532). The precise current locution, however, only began to be used about 1900.

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.

Zac, a “swaggering tormented fabulist,” had invented a back story in a city where money talks and no one speaks about its provenance.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

Of course, money talks - from the world's top-20 richest clubs, according to the Deloitte Football Money League 2024 external-link, 13 of them played in this season's Champions League and 10 reached the last 16.

From BBC • Mar. 13, 2024

You know that expression, "money talks, wealth whispers"? Well, these two haven't whispered a day in their lives.

From Salon • Jul. 22, 2023

But just as Real Madrid discovered in the case of world player of the year Benzema, money talks.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 21, 2023

Well, I certainly can't share our methods but I will remind you that money talks.

From Wild Justice by Sprague, Ruth M.

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023