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
Mary Beth Sheridan, CNN Money, 24 Feb. 2026
Okoronkwo received the payment in a certain trust account to try to create the false impression that the bribe payment was made up of client funds.
—Ryanne Mena, Daily News, 24 Feb. 2026
A.j. Perez, Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2026
When those efforts were ineffective, Roefaro bribed Taylor with tens of thousands of dollars in cash payments, between which Taylor issued a memo recommending the NYPD award the company a contract worth more than $11 million, according to the indictment.
—Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 13 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bribe
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Noun
In 2012, the former governor, Mario Villanueva, pleaded guilty in a US federal court to laundering millions of dollars in narco-bribes.
—Mary Beth Sheridan, CNN Money, 24 Feb. 2026
Okoronkwo received the payment in a certain trust account to try to create the false impression that the bribe payment was made up of client funds.
—Ryanne Mena, Daily News, 24 Feb. 2026
Verb
Fanatics uses these gatherings not to bribe or threaten their detractors into silence, but to educate them on the business.
—A.j. Perez, Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2026
When those efforts were ineffective, Roefaro bribed Taylor with tens of thousands of dollars in cash payments, between which Taylor issued a memo recommending the NYPD award the company a contract worth more than $11 million, according to the indictment.
—Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 13 Feb. 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 28 Feb. 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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