Meanings
plural golden handshakes
- idiomaticA generous severance payment, especially as an inducement to leave employment.
Lloyds TSB's 1996 accounts show that the executive fallout following the takeover of TSB by Lloyds meant the departure of two executives clutching substantial golden handshakes.
1997, Labour Research, volume 86, page 6Synonyms: silver handshake
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA generous severance payment, especially as an inducement to leave employment.
Translations
Finnish kultainen kädenpuristus
- kultainen kädenpuristusgenerous severance payment
French gratification de fin de service, indemnité de départ
- gratification de fin de servicegenerous severance payment
- indemnité de départgenerous severance payment
- prime de départgenerous severance payment
German goldener Handschlag
- goldener Handschlaggenerous severance payment
Italian buonuscita
- buonuscitagenerous severance payment
Polish odprawa
- odprawagenerous severance payment
Romanian contract verbal
- contract verbalgenerous severance payment
Cite this entry
golden handshake. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/golden%20handshake
“golden handshake.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/golden%20handshake. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “golden handshake,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/golden%20handshake.
Source: golden handshake on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.