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

Diamantis has another pending criminal case in federal court, where he's accused of taking bribes to quash a state audit of an eye doctor accused of Medicaid fraud. — CBS News, 18 Sep. 2026

He was accused of extorting private contractors for bribes between 2018 and 2021 in exchange for helping the companies keep and obtain work on school construction contracts. — David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 17 Sep. 2026

Verb

Joseph Livreri and his brother Anthony Livreri pleaded guilty to conspiracy and bribery after being charged with bribing a former New York City buildings commissioner who was part of Eric Adams' Democratic administration. — Arkansas Online, 12 Sep. 2026

The country’s largest wine and spirits distributor has entered into an agreement with federal prosecutors to resolve allegations that its executives and employees bribed alcohol retailers for favorable placement of certain products. — Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2026

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