hush money
C1Informal, News/Media, Legal/Crime
Definition
Meaning
Money paid to someone to ensure their silence and prevent them from revealing damaging or embarrassing information.
Can be extended to non-monetary compensation or benefits offered to secure secrecy, often in contexts of scandal, crime, or political corruption.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Always has a negative connotation. The phrase explicitly frames the money as being for the purpose of buying silence ('hush'), implying illegality or unethical behaviour.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
The term is equally understood and used in both varieties. No significant lexical differences.
Connotations
Identical connotations of bribery and cover-up in both dialects.
Frequency
Slightly more frequent in American media due to high-profile legal and political cases, but common in UK reporting as well.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
pay [someone] hush moneyaccept hush money [from someone]hush money [to/for someone]hush money paymenthush money scandalVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Pay to keep the lid on something”
- “Buy someone's silence”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Rare in standard business; appears in contexts of corporate scandal or executive misconduct.
Academic
Used in legal, criminology, political science, and media studies papers discussing corruption.
Everyday
Used in news consumption and discussions about scandals involving celebrities, politicians, or powerful figures.
Technical
A specific term in legal contexts, often related to charges of bribery, obstruction of justice, or campaign finance violations.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- N/A - Not standardly used as a verb.
American English
- N/A - Not standardly used as a verb.
adverb
British English
- N/A - Not standardly used as an adverb.
American English
- N/A - Not standardly used as an adverb.
adjective
British English
- N/A - Not standardly used as an adjective.
American English
- N/A - Not standardly used as an adjective.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The newspaper wrote about the actor and his hush money.
- The politician was accused of paying hush money to a former employee to conceal the affair.
- The investigation revealed a complex scheme where shell companies were used to funnel hush money to multiple accusers, constituting a clear case of obstruction of justice.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine someone saying 'Hush!' while slipping money into another person's hand to stop them from speaking.
Conceptual Metaphor
SILENCE IS A COMMODITY / INFORMATION IS A LEAK (which money can plug).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid direct calques like *тихие деньги*. The concept is best translated as 'взятка за молчание' or 'откупная'.
Common Mistakes
- Using it as a verb (e.g., 'They hush-moneied him' is non-standard). It is primarily a compound noun.
- Confusing it with 'bribe' in all contexts; a hush money is a specific type of bribe for silence.
Practice
Quiz
In which of the following scenarios is the term 'hush money' LEAST likely to be used appropriately?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Not always strictly illegal in itself (e.g., a confidential settlement in a civil lawsuit), but it often accompanies or facilitates illegal acts like bribery, obstruction of justice, or campaign finance violations, and is always ethically questionable.
No, it is a compound noun. The action is described as 'to pay hush money' or 'to offer hush money'.
All hush money is a type of bribe, but not all bribes are hush money. A bribe can be to gain a favour or advantage. Hush money is specifically a bribe to purchase silence and prevent disclosure.
It is a widely understood colloquial and journalistic term. In formal legal documents, the specifics (e.g., 'confidential settlement payment', 'bribery for the purpose of concealing evidence') would be used, but 'hush money' accurately describes the nature of the transaction.
Explore