slush fund

noun

1
: a fund raised from the sale of refuse to obtain small luxuries or pleasures for a warship's crew
2
: a fund for bribing public officials or carrying on corruptive propaganda
3
: an unregulated fund often used for illicit purposes

Examples of slush fund in a Sentence

a secret slush fund for paying bribes
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Source: University reports The endowment is not a piggy bank University endowments, though occasionally staggering in size, are not slush funds. Hayley Cuccinello, CNBC, 17 Apr. 2025 The key is to avoid letting your money sit idle and turn into a nameless slush fund. Shane Enete, Forbes, 20 Nov. 2024 Those funds went to the chancellor’s office, part of a slush fund that paid for lavish dinners at the chancellor’s La Jolla mansion, unnecessary travel and other wastes. U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Apr. 2025 The Pompano Beach Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA), originally established to revitalize our city, has long outlived its purpose, devolving instead into a slush fund that favors private interests over the needs of taxpayers. Audrey Fesik, Sun Sentinel, 1 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for slush fund

Word History

First Known Use

1839, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of slush fund was in 1839

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Cite this Entry

“Slush fund.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slush%20fund. Accessed 25 Apr. 2025.

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