bribe

noun \ ˈbrīb \

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

Prosecutors said the bribes were paid to people and groups linked to a secret confidant of the president and included horses for the confidant’s daughter, an equestrian.

— choe sang-hun, jeyup s. kwaak and paul mozur, New York Times, "Samsung Verdict Sends a Tough New Message to South Korea Inc.," 25 Aug. 2017
Court filings in his case do not identify either of the towing operators who purportedly paid him bribes.

— jeremy roebuck, Philly.com, "Feds: Philly cop took bribes from tow-truck operators," 24 Aug. 2017
Former Gov. Sergio Cabral and associates are in jail for what prosecutors called the systematic collection of bribes related to public works projects.

— mimi whitefield, miamiherald, "A year since the Rio Olympics, legacy of the games is tattered," 23 Aug. 2017
Conservatives believe legitimate voting has largely been overtaken by hordes of illegitimate voters — either outright noncitizens, or technically legal voters whose loyalty has been purchased through some kind of bribe.

— jonathan chait, Daily Intelligencer, "What Does It Say That Half the GOP Base Would Support Trump’s Authoritarianism?," 10 Aug. 2017
Zinke’s heavy-handedness will probably backfire, because standing up to threats is one of the few things that play better in Alaska than accepting porcine bribes.

— jonah goldberg, National Review, "Don’t Be Shocked (Shocked!) by Alaska Threats," 28 July 2017
Those offenses include disobeying a prison official’s orders and paying bribes.

— ames alexander, charlotteobserver, "Amid outcry, N.C. to limit use of solitary confinement for prisoners," 19 July 2017
In another case, an arrest warrant was issued in February for his predecessor, Alejandro Toledo, on bribe allegations.

— raymond colitt, Bloomberg.com, "If You Want to See Political Swamps Drained, Look to Latin America," 18 July 2017
Dickerson is accused of taking hundreds of dollars in bribes to smuggle in cellphones and other contraband to inmates at the detention center.

— mike hendricks, kansascity, "New charges filed in Jackson County jail bribery schemes," 18 July 2017

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

See Words from the same year

bribe Synonyms

Synonyms

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

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

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bribable

play \ˈbrī-bə-bəl\ adjective

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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

One reason: Drug traffickers have repeatedly bribed or otherwise compromised Border Patrol officers.

— joseph tanfani, latimes.com, "In January, President Trump vowed to hire 5,000 new Border Patrol agents. It never happened," 18 Aug. 2017
A commander sometimes could be persuaded to change sides—or maybe to at least sit this one out if the attackers made their threats fearful enough or bribes big enough.

— william gurstelle, Popular Mechanics, "How to Storm a Castle," 10 Aug. 2017
Such behavior runs afoul of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), which forbids companies from bribing foreign officials in order to win business.

— barb darrow, Fortune, "U.S. Authorities Drop Investigation of IBM Activities in Poland," 27 July 2017
Glenn repeatedly accused prosecutors in the U.S. and officials in Honduras of bribing the girls to testify against him.

— paula mcmahon, Sun-Sentinel.com, "'Defiant' ex-military contractor who stole secrets gets life in prison for sexually exploiting underage girls," 21 July 2017
The decision to sell the company comes on the heels of legal trouble for brothers Joesley and Wesley Batista, who confessed to bribing thousands of politicians in exchange for government loans.

— de elizabeth, Allure, "Havaianas Flip-Flop Company Sold For More Than $1 Billion," 14 July 2017
Clement bribed his way out of captivity in Castel San'Angelo.

— charles p. pierce, Esquire, "The Assault on History Continues with Donald Trump: Renaissance Pope," 10 July 2017
Witnesses testified Millan worked with other cartel leaders to bribe politicians and kill dozens of people to protect drug smuggling.

— CBS News, "Cartel assassin who dismembered girl with ax sentenced in Texas," 29 June 2017
The fight culminated in 1899, when Royal managed to bribe the Missouri legislature to pass a law banning the sale of all alum baking powders in the state, according to Baking Powder Wars.

— ben panko, Smithsonian, "The Great Uprising: How a Powder Revolutionized Baking," 21 June 2017

Origin and Etymology of bribe

see ¹bribe

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1528

See Words from the same year

bribe Synonyms

Synonyms

buy, corrupt, have, pay off, square, get at, grease the hand of (or grease the palm of), oil the hand of (or oil the palm of)

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

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