Meanings
- uncountableMoney paid, especially at regular intervals, to criminals or to corrupt officials who threaten to cause harm to the payer or to his or her business if the money is not paid.
[T]he FSB, interior ministry and police collect protection money from businesses.
2010 December 1, Luke Harding, “WikiLeaks cables condemn Russia as 'mafia state'”, in The Guardian, UK, retrieved 04 Jun 20144 more examples
Those in the Lowland line who lay near him, and desired to enjoy their lives and property in quiet, were contented to pay him a small composition, in name of protection money, and comforted themselves with the old proverb that it was better to "fleech the deil than fight him."
1827, Sir Walter Scott, "The Highland Widow" ch. 2, in The Chronicles of the Canongate[T]he police had raised the tariff for sporting houses, and would collect seventy-five and a hundred a month protection money.
a. 1911, David Graham Phillips, chapter 13, in Susan Lenox: Her Fall and RiseFour members of an Asian gang were arrested yesterday and charged with extortion and conspiracy for demanding protection money from Chinese restaurants in Sunset Park, Brooklyn.
1993 June 15, “Four Men Arrested In Protection Scheme”, in New York Times, retrieved 04 Jun 2014[T]he Mungiki . . . hit the headlines in April with a string of beheadings as they tussled for control of lucrative bus routes by executing drivers and conductors who refused to pay protection money.
2007 November 6, Rob Crilly, “Kenya Accused of Mass Killings”, in Time, retrieved 04 Jun 2014
Translations
Catalan protecció
- protecciómoney regular interval, extorted by criminals threatening to cause harm
Chinese Mandarin 保護費 /保护费
- 保護費 /保护费 (bǎohùfèi)money regular interval, extorted by criminals threatening to cause harm
Czech výpalné
- výpalnémoney regular interval, extorted by criminals threatening to cause harm
Danish beskyttelsespenge
- beskyttelsespengemoney regular interval, extorted by criminals threatening to cause harm
Finnish suojeluraha
- suojelurahamoney regular interval, extorted by criminals threatening to cause harm
French argent de racket
- argent de racketmoney regular interval, extorted by criminals threatening to cause harm
German Schutzgeld
- Schutzgeldmoney regular interval, extorted by criminals threatening to cause harm
Hebrew דְּמֵי חָסוּת
- דְּמֵי חָסוּת (dmey khasut)money regular interval, extorted by criminals threatening to cause harm
Indonesian jaminan perlindungan
- jaminan perlindunganmoney regular interval, extorted by criminals threatening to cause harm
Irish cosaint
- cosaintmoney regular interval, extorted by criminals threatening to cause harm
Italian pizzo
- pizzomoney regular interval, extorted by criminals threatening to cause harm
Korean 보호금
- 보호금money regular interval, extorted by criminals threatening to cause harm
Romanian taxă de protecție
- taxă de protecțiemoney regular interval, extorted by criminals threatening to cause harm
Russian пла́та за защи́ту, пла́та за покрови́тельство
- пла́та за защи́ту (pláta za zaščítu)money regular interval, extorted by criminals threatening to cause harm
- пла́та за покрови́тельство (pláta za pokrovítelʹstvo)money regular interval, extorted by criminals threatening to cause harm
- пла́та за кры́шу (pláta za krýšu)money regular interval, extorted by criminals threatening to cause harm
Slovak výpalné
- výpalnémoney regular interval, extorted by criminals threatening to cause harm
Spanish renta, protección
- rentamoney regular interval, extorted by criminals threatening to cause harm
- protecciónmoney regular interval, extorted by criminals threatening to cause harm
Swedish beskyddarpengar, skyddspengar
- beskyddarpengarmoney regular interval, extorted by criminals threatening to cause harm
- skyddspengarmoney regular interval, extorted by criminals threatening to cause harm
Ukrainian кришування бізнесу
- кришування бізнесу (kryšuvannja biznesu)money regular interval, extorted by criminals threatening to cause harm
Vietnamese bảo kê
- bảo kêmoney regular interval, extorted by criminals threatening to cause harm
Cite this entry
protection money. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/protection%20money
“protection money.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/protection%20money. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “protection money,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/protection%20money.
Source: protection money on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.