bribe

1 of 3

noun (1)

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 3

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

briber

3 of 3

noun (2)

brib·​er

ˈbrī-bər

plural -s

1

obsolete

a

: a robber, blackmailer, or extortioner

b

: one that extorts a bribe

c

: something that bribes : bribe

2

: one that gives or offers a bribe or that practices bribery

Synonyms of bribe

Noun (1)

• 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 (1)

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

Security analysts speculate that many are willing to talk about their bribes to politicians, in hopes of reducing their sentences. — Mary Beth Sheridan, CNN Money, 25 July 2026

Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway’s office on Thursday defended its decision to sue Kansas City over a contracting program using a plaintiff who had pleaded guilty to paying bribes for contracts years ago. — Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 24 July 2026

Verb

Retained for criminal defense work, Dwyer bribed an NYPD officer to access a confidential federal law enforcement database, obtaining personal information on government witnesses. — David Niccolini, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026

In 2009, Bourke was convicted of conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act for engaging in a scheme with Kozeny to bribe Azerbaijan government officials, spending a year and one day in prison starting in 2013. — Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 27 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1) and Verb

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

Noun (2)

Middle English bribour vagrant, scoundrel, thief, from Middle French bribeur, brimbeur beggar, scoundrel, from briber, brimber + -eur -or

First Known Use

Noun (1)

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