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
Ella Lee, The Hill, 11 June 2025
Rhiannon Do received most of the bribes via a high-paying job at Viet America Society and $350,000 for a down payment on a $1 million Tustin Home.
—Michael Slaten, Oc Register, 9 June 2025
Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 18 June 2025
Officials allege that Daby Jr. and Duncan are responsible for operating the largest drug trafficking organizations throughout Guyana, relying on semi-submersible narco submarines and aircraft to transport cocaine while bribing local government officials.
—Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 6 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for bribe
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Noun
But the clock is ticking, as he’s set to report to prison on Tuesday to begin his 11-year sentence for trading bribes for political favors and other crimes.
—Ella Lee, The Hill, 11 June 2025
Rhiannon Do received most of the bribes via a high-paying job at Viet America Society and $350,000 for a down payment on a $1 million Tustin Home.
—Michael Slaten, Oc Register, 9 June 2025
Verb
No more sad scooping sessions or bribing your kids to help.
—Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 18 June 2025
Officials allege that Daby Jr. and Duncan are responsible for operating the largest drug trafficking organizations throughout Guyana, relying on semi-submersible narco submarines and aircraft to transport cocaine while bribing local government officials.
—Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 6 June 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 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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