bribe

1 of 2

noun

ˈbrīb 

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

bribe

2 of 2

verb

bribed; bribing

transitive verb

: 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

intransitive verb

: to practice bribery

bribable

ˈbrī-bə-bəl 

adjective

bribee

ˌbrī-ˈbē 

noun

briber noun

Synonyms

Noun

• backhander [British]
• boodle
• cumshaw
• fix
• sop

Verb

• buy
• corrupt
• have
• pay off
• square

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

Noun

Edgar Cisneros, the former city manager of Commerce, also pleaded guilty in the plot in which local officials allegedly took bribes to hand out permits for marijuana businesses. —Anabel Sosa, Los Angeles Times, 12 Dec. 2024

In April, a former chief inspector of the State Bank was given life in prison for accepting a five-million-dollar bribe to overlook financial problems at SCB. —Amanda Gerut, Fortune Asia, 12 Dec. 2024

Verb

Or unscrupulous exporters mislabel them, bribing port officials to not examine their shipments too closely. —Vince Beiser, WIRED, 30 Nov. 2024

The company was accused of bribing government officials and other influential figures for manufacturing contracts. —Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 5 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English, morsel given to a beggar, bribe, from Anglo-French, morsel

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1528, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Kids Definition

bribe

1 of 2 noun

ˈbrīb 

: 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

bribable

ˈbrī-bə-bəl 

adjective

briber noun

Legal Definition

bribe

1 of 2 noun

: a benefit (as money) given, promised, or offered in order to influence the judgment or conduct of a person in a position of trust (as an official or witness) compare kickback

bribe

2 of 2 transitive verb

bribed; bribing

: to influence (a person) by giving a bribe