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

Kimble pleaded guilty in 2019 to multiple federal offenses, including conspiracy to defraud the United States, healthcare fraud, wire fraud, mail fraud, making false claims and offering kickbacks and bribes. —Michael Sinkewicz, FOXNews.com, 20 June 2026

In some instances, Larry and Snowden arranged for the victims to meet them at a nearby gas station with bribe payments, the indictment alleged. —Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 18 June 2026

Verb

Several more opposition members were arrested Friday on similar charges of bribing voters. —Avet Demourian, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2026

Similar raids by the feds at addresses tied to then-Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao and then-San Leandro City Councilmember Bryan Azevedo eventually led to criminal indictments against both politicians, as well as the businessmen accused of bribing them. —Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 9 June 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