kickback money

Meanings

1. 1noununcountabledisapproving

   Money paid secretly and illegally to someone who has helped arrange a deal or given a contract.

   Grammar: Uncountable: say 'kickback money' or 'a kickback', not 'a kickback money'.

   Patterns

   • accept kickback money
   • pay kickback money
   • kickback money from a deal

   The official was arrested for taking kickback money from a construction company.

   Investigators found that kickback money had been hidden in offshore accounts.

   The company denied that any kickback money was involved in the contract.

2. 2noununcountabledisapproving

   A sum of money returned to a buyer as part of a secret agreement, often to secure loyalty.

   Grammar: Still uncountable; you can say 'a kickback' for one payment.

   Patterns

   • a kickback of money
   • receive kickback money
   • kickback money scheme

   The purchasing manager received kickback money for every order placed with that supplier.

   Prosecutors described a complex scheme involving kickback money and fake invoices.

   She blew the whistle on the kickback money being paid to her boss.

Common combinations

accept kickback money

He was fired for accepting kickback money from a vendor.

pay kickback money

The company was accused of paying kickback money to win the bid.

kickback money scandal

The kickback money scandal forced the mayor to resign.

kickback money scheme

They ran a kickback money scheme for over five years.

Synonyms and how they differ

bribe

A bribe is given to persuade someone to do something; kickback money is a reward after the favor is done.

payoff

A payoff can be legal or illegal; kickback money is always illegal and secret.

backhander

British informal for a secret payment; it can be used for any illegal payment, not just in business deals.

Commonly confused: kickback money or rebate?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “kickback money”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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