hush money

hush money (uncountable)

1. A bribe to maintain secrecy (to prevent bad publicity or to prevent the discovery of a crime).

   The scandal was even greater when it was announced that hush money had been paid to keep the faulty products unannounced.

   • 2023 April 4, Michael Rothfeld, “Private or Political? Charges Over Hush Money Hinge on Payment’s Purpose”, in The New York Times‎, →ISSN:

     Is paying hush money a crime? In most cases, the answer is no. Hush-money agreements, otherwise known as nondisclosure agreements, have long been used by companies and private individuals to avoid litigation and keep embarrassing information confidential.

   • 2024 April 21, Michael Rothfeld, “Tracing the Trail of Hush-Money Deals That Led to Trump’s Prosecution”, in The New York Times‎, →ISSN:

     Lawyers defending Mr. Trump, who denies he had sex with her, will likely argue that his employees were responsible for the paper trail that falsely described the reimbursement of the hush money as legal fees for Mr. Cohen.

• non-disclosure agreement