bribe

noun \ ˈbrīb \

|Updated on: 15 Jun 2018

Examples: bribe in a Sentence

Definition of bribe

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

See bribe defined for English-language learners

See bribe defined for kids

Examples of bribe in a Sentence

I offered the children a bribe for finishing their homework.
that judge refused a huge bribe to dismiss the charges against the wealthy defendant

Recent Examples of bribe from the Web

There could also be more bribes than initially acknowledged.

— azam ahmed, New York Times, "Mexico Could Press Bribery Charges. It Just Hasn’t.," 11 June 2018
For decades, everyone's favorite childhood bribe remained a humble mix of cream, milk, sugar, and eggs.

— aliza abarbanel, Bon Appetit, "Our Favorite Ice Cream Brand Just Dropped a Dairy-Free Line," 8 June 2018
Luxury labels are riding a wave of demand led by China, where sales are surging after a multiyear slump caused by a crackdown on bribes that often involved exchanging high-end items for government favors.

— Fortune, "Gucci Aims to Rival Louis Vuitton With $12 Billion Target," 7 June 2018
Enacted in 1997, the law prohibits bribes of foreign officials to obtain business.

— lorraine mirabella, baltimoresun.com, "Legg Mason reaches settlement with Justice Department in Libyan bribery probe," 4 June 2018
Former Corporation Commissioner Gary Pierce is accused of accepting $31,000 in bribes that authorities say were made on behalf of water company owner George Johnson, and of trying to get Johnson to buy him a $350,000 piece of land.

— jacques billeaud, azcentral, "Opening statements to begin at former corporation commissioner's bribery trial," 31 May 2018
They are being prosecuted for alleged bribe-paying in Nigeria in 2011 (both firms deny wrongdoing).

— The Economist, "European firms are increasingly tackling the scourge of bribery," 26 May 2018
At one time or another over the years, the City Council's been inhabited by drunks, philanderers, cokeheads, bribe takers, wire wearers, and various other miscreants of every race, creed, and color.

— ben joravsky, Chicago Reader, "Clout City / Politics Why did Carlos Ramirez-Rosa get kicked out of the City Council’s Latino Caucus?," 24 May 2018
Any lecturer caught soliciting bribe for marks in Nigeria should be suspended for a full academic year.

— bukola adebayo and stephanie busari, CNN, "Lecturer asked her to trade sex for better grades, Nigerian student says," 23 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bribe.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of bribe

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

bribe Synonyms

Synonyms

boodle, fix, sop;

Related Words

kickback, payoff;

slush fund;

incentive, incitement, instigation, motivation, provocation, spur, stimulation, stimulus;

boost, encouragement, goad, inducement;

allurement, bait, enticement, lure, seduction, temptation, turn-on;

flattery, persuasion;

decoy, snare, trap;

Other Economics Terms

actuary, compound interest, globalization, indemnity, portfolio, rentier, stagflation, usurer

bribe

verb

Definition of bribe

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

play \ˈbrī-bə-bəl\ adjective

—

bribee

play \ˌbrī-ˈbē\ noun

—

briber

noun

See bribe defined for English-language learners

Examples of bribe in a Sentence

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 of bribe from the Web

Fiore, who pleaded guilty last December to bribing a Macomb County official, faces up to five years in prison.

— rochelle riley, Detroit Free Press, "Gabe Leland on FBI towing probe: 'I feel OK where I'm at'," 31 May 2018
The complaint did not say which Indian officials were allegedly bribed.

— Fox News, "Report: India launches corruption probe of airline AirAsia," 29 May 2018
The same royal wedding guest also shared that Nanny Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo was bribing Prince Harry's goddaughter Zalie Warren with candy and Peppa Pig throughout the ceremony.

— caroline hallemann, Town & Country, "Princess Charlotte Was Calling the Shots as a Bridesmaid in the Royal Wedding," 23 May 2018
ServiceMaster All Care Restoration attorneys argued company executives could not have bribed the worker because parts of his testimony undermined the company's case and criminal allegations were not admissible in a civil suit.

— rebekah l. sanders, azcentral, "Goodyear homeowners battle company over black-mold removal," 16 May 2018
Hazel Crest School District 152 ½, which since 2013 has done $12.5 million of business with a construction company whose president stands accused of bribing public officials, now finds itself also under scrutiny from federal prosecutors.

— zak koeske, Daily Southtown, "Feds seek records from Hazel Crest district on board president, company that built 2 schools," 28 Apr. 2018
There was talk of guards being bribed by a (possibly fake) Rolex.

— dan greene, SI.com, "Flight of the Sole Man," 8 Mar. 2018
After a deal gone bad, Qi’ra and Han smuggle a bit of hyper-valuable hyperfuel hoping to bribe an Imperial ticket-taker for a one-way ride off the planet.

— nathan mattise, Ars Technica, "Solo film review: Best when it embraces its favorite action-movie urges," 24 May 2018
Royal or not, all kids can be bribed with the promise of candy!

— stephanie petit, PEOPLE.com, "Royal Wedding Photographer Reveals the 'Magic Word' That Got All 10 Kids to Behave for Portrait," 23 May 2018

Origin and Etymology of bribe

see ¹bribe

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1528

in the meaning defined at transitive sense

See Words from the same year

bribe Synonyms

Synonyms

buy, corrupt, have, pay off, square;

Related Words

fix, tamper (with);

abase, debase, debauch, defile, degrade, demean, deprave, dishonor, pervert, poison, profane, prostitute, subvert, taint, warp;

allure, bait, beguile, entice, lead on, lure, seduce, tempt;

motivate, provoke, spur, stimulate;

goad, induce;

flatter, persuade;

snare, trap;

Phrases

get at, grease the hand of (or grease the palm of), oil the hand of (or oil the palm of);

BRIBE Defined for English Language Learners

bribe

noun

Definition of bribe for English Language Learners

: something valuable (such as money) that is given in order to get someone to do something

bribe

verb

Definition of bribe for English Language Learners

: to try to get someone to do something by giving or promising something valuable (such as money) : to give or offer a bribe to (someone)

BRIBE Defined for Kids

bribe

noun \ ˈbrīb \

Definition of bribe for Students

: something given or promised to a person in order to influence dishonestly a decision or action

bribe

verb

Definition of bribe for Students

bribed; bribing

: to influence or try to influence dishonestly by giving or promising something

Law Dictionary

bribe

noun

legal Definition of bribe

: 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