hush-money

Definition

• Noun: Money paid or given to someone in exchange for their silence, especially about a scandalous, illegal, or embarrassing matter.

Usage Examples

• (Money given to ensure silence about a damaging secret.)
• (Bribes to suppress information.)

Advanced Usage

• "to pay hush-money": to give money to someone to keep them quiet.

  • They paid hush-money to the witness to avoid a court case. (They bribed the witness to stay silent.)

• "hush-money scheme": a plan involving the payment of money to conceal wrongdoing.

  • The investigation uncovered a hush-money scheme involving several high-ranking officials. (A coordinated effort to pay for silence.)

Variants and Related Words

• Hush (verb/noun): to make quiet; silence.

  • She tried to hush the crying baby. (To quieten.)

• Hush-hush (adj): secret or confidential.

  • The project was hush-hush until the official announcement. (Kept secret.)

• Money (noun): a medium of exchange; currency.

  • He needed money to pay the bills. (Financial resources.)

Synonyms

• Bribe: money or favor given to influence someone's actions, often to corrupt.
• Payoff: a sum of money given to someone to secure their cooperation or silence.
• Kickback: a payment made illegally in return for a favor or service.

Related Idioms

• "Buy someone's silence": to pay someone to keep a secret.

  • The corporation bought the whistleblower's silence with a large settlement. (Paid to prevent disclosure.)

• "Put a lid on it": to keep something secret or suppressed.

  • The manager tried to put a lid on the scandal by offering hush-money. (To suppress information.)

Phrasal Verbs

• Pay off (verb): to give money to someone to ensure cooperation or silence.

  • He paid off the security guard to let them into the building. (Bribed.)

• Cover up (verb): to conceal something, especially wrongdoing.

  • They tried to cover up the accident, but the truth came out. (To hide.)