plural briberies
: the act or practice of giving or taking a bribe

Examples of bribery in a Sentence

They were arrested on charges of bribery.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Fricker’s complaint alleges, in part, that Zahnd may have violated multiple state laws, including possibly bribery of a public servant. — Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 22 Sep. 2026 But bribery is not the only measure of a conflict of interest. — Arkansas Online, 19 Sep. 2026 Even if participants pay for their own tickets, the Likud argues priority flight access and group discount rates are prohibited benefits that amount to election bribery under Israeli law. — Tal Shalev, CNN Money, 19 Sep. 2026 Federal prosecutors collected the text messages, emails, bank withdrawals and deposits, and confessions of Diamantis accomplices in his bribery and extortion scheme. — Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 19 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for bribery

Word History

First Known Use

1560, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bribery was in 1560

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Cite this Entry

“Bribery.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bribery. Accessed 28 Sep. 2026.

Kids Definition

plural briberies
: the act or practice of bribing

Legal Definition

bribery

noun
brib·​ery
plural briberies
: the crime of giving or taking a bribe

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