easy money

American

noun

money obtained with a minimum of effort.
money obtained by deception, fraud, artifice, etc.

easy money British

noun

money made with little effort, sometimes dishonestly
commerce money that can be borrowed at a low interest rate

"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

easy money Idioms

Money obtained readily, with little effort and, often, illegally. For example, Winning the lottery—that's easy money! or I was wary of making easy money with the insider tips I'd been given. [c. 1900] Also see fast buck.

Etymology

Origin of easy money

An Americanism dating back to 1895–1900

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.

Price-to-earnings ratios have ratcheted sharply higher in recent weeks, suggesting much of the rally’s easy money has already been made.

From Barron's

Warsh built his reputation as a hawk by warning for years that easy money would fuel inflation.

From The Wall Street Journal

Nearly ten months later, however, the easy money appears to have been made.

From Barron's

Getting unhooked from the era of easy money could bring some headaches along the way.

From The Wall Street Journal

So when he searched online for a loan to keep himself afloat, a Chinese agent hooked him with an opportunity for easy money.

From The Wall Street Journal

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