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
bribed; bribing
: 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
: to practice bribery
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
Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2026
As a result, after the game, Rozier and his co-conspirators negotiated a discount on his bribe, cutting it from $100,000 to about $70,000, the superseding indictment said.
—Rebecca Boone, Fortune, 29 May 2026
Kayti Burt, Time, 29 May 2026
In 2022, veteran homicide detective Phong Tran was accused of bribing a witness in a murder case and then lying about it.
—Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 28 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for bribe
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Noun
Part of the rationale to legalize sports gambling was that professional athletes make so much money that they wouldn’t be tempted by bribes.
—Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2026
As a result, after the game, Rozier and his co-conspirators negotiated a discount on his bribe, cutting it from $100,000 to about $70,000, the superseding indictment said.
—Rebecca Boone, Fortune, 29 May 2026
Verb
Then, Chang-ho bribed Ye-jin’s chief competition at HIT Home Shopping, Yun-ji (Park Ah-in), to get the Good Morning Cream on the broadcast product list.
—Kayti Burt, Time, 29 May 2026
In 2022, veteran homicide detective Phong Tran was accused of bribing a witness in a murder case and then lying about it.
—Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 28 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for bribe
Cite this Entry
“Bribe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bribe. Accessed 31 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
bribe
1 of 2 noun
: 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
briber
noun
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