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
Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 11 Mar. 2026
The letter also refuted accusations of a bribe, which were based on a text message a Quest representative had sent Davis.
—Joseph States, Chicago Tribune, 10 Mar. 2026
Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 3 Mar. 2026
The indictment alleges the Sansons sought to bribe an Antioch City Council member to place the project on a City Council agenda and secure a favorable vote on a 533-home subdivision.
—Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 2 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bribe
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Noun
Players were offered $10,000 to $30,000 bribes per game, and Smith paid players after successful bets, according to court documents.
—Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 11 Mar. 2026
The letter also refuted accusations of a bribe, which were based on a text message a Quest representative had sent Davis.
—Joseph States, Chicago Tribune, 10 Mar. 2026
Verb
Kissing Is The Easy Part, meanwhile, follows a romance that blossom after a perfect student is bribed to tutor a rebellious wild child.
—Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 3 Mar. 2026
The indictment alleges the Sansons sought to bribe an Antioch City Council member to place the project on a City Council agenda and secure a favorable vote on a 533-home subdivision.
—Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 2 Mar. 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 12 Mar. 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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