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
Christopher Goffard, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2025
These include: Scott Jenkins, the former sheriff of Culpeper County, Virginia, who was convicted of accepting more than $75,000 in bribes in exchange for appointing individuals as auxiliary deputies.
—Peter Aitken
alia Shoaib, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 June 2025
Michael Slaten, Oc Register, 6 June 2025
Ralph Olarte and Humberto Lopez Belmonte bribed officials and cartels to smuggle goods into Mexico, avoiding customs duties for over a decade, federal prosecutors say.
—Miami Herald, 31 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for bribe
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Noun
Andrew Do, the former Orange County supervisor who took more than $550,000 in bribes over COVID-relief money meant to buy meals for needy, elderly constituents, was sentenced Monday to five years in federal prison.
—Christopher Goffard, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2025
These include: Scott Jenkins, the former sheriff of Culpeper County, Virginia, who was convicted of accepting more than $75,000 in bribes in exchange for appointing individuals as auxiliary deputies.
—Peter Aitken
alia Shoaib, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 June 2025
Verb
Prosecutors allege Pham was a friend and associate of Do, who served as an OC supervisor from 2015 until Do resigned in October as part of his plea agreement, and Pham bribed Do in the form of payments to his two daughters.
—Michael Slaten, Oc Register, 6 June 2025
Ralph Olarte and Humberto Lopez Belmonte bribed officials and cartels to smuggle goods into Mexico, avoiding customs duties for over a decade, federal prosecutors say.
—Miami Herald, 31 May 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 14 Jun. 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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