sweetheart deal
noun
plural sweetheart deals
chiefly US
: an unusually advantageous arrangement or agreement
If they wanted to leave, they could have done so before the stadium expansion and received a sweetheart deal from someplace else.—
Nick Canepa
Nick Canepa
especially
: one that is obtained through personal or business connections or influence
His original 606,302 investment—most of it borrowed from a bank where he was once a director—netted him a fortune of $18.4 million, and accusations that he had benefited from a sweetheart deal. —David Hume Kennerly
David Hume Kennerly The company also used its clout to cut through the logjam of carrier requirements that had stifled innovation in the phone industry for years, essentially forcing AT&T into a sweetheart deal that put Apple in the driver's seat. —Brian X. Chen
Brian X. Chen Examples of sweetheart deal in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Fisher’s sweetheart deal with Sacramento, rather than have his rent increase dramatically in Oakland for the next three years, will have the players sharing a home with the River Cats and taking a step back in terms of facilities at Triple-A Sutter Health Park.
—Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 12 Apr. 2024
Energy policy watchdog organizations, however, are concerned that the bill amounts to a sweetheart deal for utility and gas companies that will keep the state tethered to gas combustion.
—Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 13 Feb. 2024
Critics accused the board majority of making a sweetheart deal to provide control of a district campus to a politically influential charter school.
—Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2024
On February 13, the Senate approved a massive sweetheart deal for Israel: $14.1 billion in supplemental military aid—in addition to and nearly quadruple the size of the annual sum approved before the October 7 attack.
—Jonah Blank, Foreign Affairs, 14 Mar. 2024
The Mountain West has a sweetheart deal with Thomas & Mack because it is not owned by a hotel or casino, allowing the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority to entice an event to town without playing favorites.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Mar. 2024
Also included was Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who denounced the plea agreement as a sweetheart deal.
—Peter Baker, New York Times, 22 June 2023
In return, the company got something of a sweetheart deal: a no-charge lease of 200 acres and a 100% tax abatement for the first 10 years, McCaskill said.
—USA TODAY, 29 Jan. 2024
Under the sweetheart deal, the younger Biden was to settle a yearslong pattern of felony tax evasion, derived from millions of dollars in income, by merely pleading guilty to two misdemeanor charges, with no jail time and with felony gun charges disappearing entirely.
—The Editors, National Review, 8 Dec. 2023
Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 12 Apr. 2024
Energy policy watchdog organizations, however, are concerned that the bill amounts to a sweetheart deal for utility and gas companies that will keep the state tethered to gas combustion.
—Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 13 Feb. 2024
Critics accused the board majority of making a sweetheart deal to provide control of a district campus to a politically influential charter school.
—Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2024
On February 13, the Senate approved a massive sweetheart deal for Israel: $14.1 billion in supplemental military aid—in addition to and nearly quadruple the size of the annual sum approved before the October 7 attack.
—Jonah Blank, Foreign Affairs, 14 Mar. 2024
The Mountain West has a sweetheart deal with Thomas & Mack because it is not owned by a hotel or casino, allowing the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority to entice an event to town without playing favorites.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Mar. 2024
Also included was Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who denounced the plea agreement as a sweetheart deal.
—Peter Baker, New York Times, 22 June 2023
In return, the company got something of a sweetheart deal: a no-charge lease of 200 acres and a 100% tax abatement for the first 10 years, McCaskill said.
—USA TODAY, 29 Jan. 2024
Under the sweetheart deal, the younger Biden was to settle a yearslong pattern of felony tax evasion, derived from millions of dollars in income, by merely pleading guilty to two misdemeanor charges, with no jail time and with felony gun charges disappearing entirely.
—The Editors, National Review, 8 Dec. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sweetheart deal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Sweetheart deal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sweetheart%20deal. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.
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