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 of bribe

Noun

• incentive
• fix
• stimulus
• motivation

Verb

• lure
• buy
• seduce
• entice
• persuade
• corrupt
• tempt
• poison
• have
• provoke
• pay off
• get at

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

Authorities said the pair took bribes to rig bets on pitches thrown during MLB games. —Alex Harring, CNBC, 10 Nov. 2025

There, colleges were deprived of their employees’ honest services because admissions staff and coaches accepted parents’ bribes. —Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 10 Nov. 2025

Verb

Meanwhile, Elon Musk’s X has come clean about attempts by an organized cybercrime ring to bribe staff in an attempt to reactivate scam accounts peddling dubious cryptocurrencies. —PC Magazine, 8 Nov. 2025

Esformes even bribed the basketball coach at the University of Pennsylvania to classify his son as a scholarship athlete, according to a trial witness. —Kevin G. Hall, Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025

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

Rhymes for bribe

• gibe
• jibe
• tribe
• vibe
• ascribe
• describe
• imbibe
• inscribe
• prescribe
• proscribe
• subscribe
• transcribe

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