From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishill-gotten gainsill-gotten gainsCHEATPROFITmoney or advantages obtained dishonestly – used humorously → gain
Examples from the Corpus
ill-gotten gains• The Justice Department alleges the winnings are ill-gotten gains from a money-laundering scheme.• But her ill-gotten gains will cripple not only her students, but her young country too.• Sadly, the thief who leaves no clues and is careful disposing of his ill-gotten gains is unlikely to be caught.• So that was where Spencer wasted some of his ill-gotten gains, was it?• The latter were continuing to draw prestige as well as profit from their ill-gotten gains.• It is too late to crack down on the oligarchs or seize their ill-gotten gains.• Yet bankers and government alike say they do not welcome ill-gotten gains.ill-gotten gainsˌill-gotten ˈgains noun [plural] DISHONESTmoney that was obtained in an unfair or dishonest way – used humorously 