Legal Definitions - hush money

Definition: Hush money is a bribe given to someone to keep them from revealing certain information. It is a payment made to ensure that the person remains silent.

• A politician paid hush money to a former employee to keep quiet about an affair.
• A company paid hush money to a whistleblower to prevent them from revealing information about illegal activities.
• A celebrity paid hush money to a tabloid to prevent them from publishing embarrassing photos.

These examples illustrate how hush money is used to keep information from becoming public. It is often used in situations where the information could be damaging to a person or organization. The payment of hush money is generally seen as unethical and can be illegal in some cases.