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
Snigdha Poonam, The Dial, 28 Oct. 2025
Lauro, himself a former federal prosecutor, previously represented former NBA official Tim Donaghy, who was charged with betting on league games and accepting bribes to influence his calls.
—Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 27 Oct. 2025
Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 29 Oct. 2025
But the company’s owner, Ana Chretien, is a close ally and business associate of Mario Juarez, who this news organization has previously reported to be a co-conspirator in an alleged scheme to bribe the former mayor.
—Shomik Mukherjee, Mercury News, 17 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bribe
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Noun
The owners themselves usually remained in detention only briefly, released once bribes were paid on their behalf.
—Snigdha Poonam, The Dial, 28 Oct. 2025
Lauro, himself a former federal prosecutor, previously represented former NBA official Tim Donaghy, who was charged with betting on league games and accepting bribes to influence his calls.
—Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 27 Oct. 2025
Verb
While a dog can be bribed with a squeaky toy and a pig would surely look at the camera when enticed with a sausage on a stick, cats are known for their admirably self-serving demeanors.
—Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 29 Oct. 2025
But the company’s owner, Ana Chretien, is a close ally and business associate of Mario Juarez, who this news organization has previously reported to be a co-conspirator in an alleged scheme to bribe the former mayor.
—Shomik Mukherjee, Mercury News, 17 Oct. 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 31 Oct. 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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