1
: money or favor given or promised in order to influence the judgment or conduct of a person in a position of trust
police officers accused of taking bribes
2
: something that serves to induce or influence
offered the kid a bribe to finish his homework
bribed; bribing
: to influence the judgment or conduct of (someone) with or as if with offers of money or favor : to induce or influence by or as if by bribery
attempting to bribe a judge
bribing a child with candy
: to practice bribery
Examples of bribe in a Sentence
Noun
I offered the children a bribe for finishing their homework.
that judge refused a huge bribe to dismiss the charges against the wealthy defendant
Verb
She was arrested for attempting to bribe a judge.
They bribed him to keep quiet about the incident.
We bribed the children with candy.
Recent Examples on the Web
CNN Money, 23 Sep. 2025
All 14 of the ex-Antioch and Pittsburg officers to be charged have pleaded guilty or been convicted of some law violation, including participating in a college degree fraud scandal, accepting bribes, firearms violations and real estate fraud.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 19 Sep. 2025
Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 19 Sep. 2025
Executives and employees from a strip club operator are facing charges for allegedly bribing a New York official with free trips and private dances.
—Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bribe
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Noun
The official, who has been arrested, is also suspected of providing 100 million won ($71,800) in bribes to Kweon.
—CNN Money, 23 Sep. 2025
All 14 of the ex-Antioch and Pittsburg officers to be charged have pleaded guilty or been convicted of some law violation, including participating in a college degree fraud scandal, accepting bribes, firearms violations and real estate fraud.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 19 Sep. 2025
Verb
In May, Coinbase revealed that cybercriminals had bribed a few of its overseas customer support agents to leak customers' personal data.
—Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 19 Sep. 2025
Executives and employees from a strip club operator are facing charges for allegedly bribing a New York official with free trips and private dances.
—Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bribe
Cite this Entry
“Bribe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bribe. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
bribe
1 of 2 noun
: something given or promised to a person in order to influence a decision or action dishonestly
bribe
2 of 2 verb
bribed; bribing
: to influence or try to influence by a bribe
briber
noun
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