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
Synonyms
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
Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Apr. 2024
The 55-year-old former head of the council’s Planning and Land Use Committee was sentenced in January for his role in a sprawling federal corruption case that involved him taking cash payouts and other bribes while in office.
—Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for bribe 
Noun
The government alleged that from at least 2006 to 2014, Francis showered the officers with bribes of fancy meals, prostitutes, high-end hotel rooms and other perks.
—Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Apr. 2024
The 55-year-old former head of the council’s Planning and Land Use Committee was sentenced in January for his role in a sprawling federal corruption case that involved him taking cash payouts and other bribes while in office.
—Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for bribe
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bribe.' 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
“Bribe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bribe. Accessed 3 May. 2024.
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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