black economy

British

noun

that portion of the income of a nation that remains illegally undeclared either as a result of payment in kind or as a means of tax avoidance

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Last month, Mahmood said she wanted to "shrink the black economy" and dismantle the business model of smuggling gangs.

From BBC

Yopougon has a large black economy and the local industrial estate "only offers very seasonal and fairly insecure job opportunities", Kouame explained.

From Barron's

It also found signs of hotel residents working illegally in the black economy.

From BBC

But, at the same time, I have seen signs of hotel residents working illegally in the black economy and discovered that the asylum system appears to require an extraordinary number of taxi journeys.

From BBC

But former Blair-era minister Clive Betts warned the border system "continue to fail" without proper exits checks leaving a risk of people staying illegally and working in "the black economy".

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023