bribe 1 of 2

noun

ˈbrīb How to pronounce bribe (audio)
Definition of bribenext
as in incentive
something given or promised in order to improperly influence a person's conduct or decision that judge refused a huge bribe to dismiss the charges against the wealthy defendant

Synonyms & Similar Words

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bribe

2 of 2

verb

as in to lure
to influence someone with a bribe meat inspectors were bribed, and the contaminated beef was sold to the public

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of bribe
Noun
Stanley Zydlo pleaded guilty in 1980 to paying a $1,000 bribe to have the test results altered for a Fire Department physical entrance exam taken by two relatives. — Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 22 Oct. 2026 Ulrich, 41, is accused of accepting more than $150,000 in bribes in exchange for political favors while serving as a City Council member, senior adviser to Mayor Eric Adams and later as buildings commissioner. — Alice Gainer, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026
Verb
In the action movie, the cops usually have to bribe the person with access to the surveillance tool with cookies and booze to run a search without a warrant, right? — Nilay Patel, The Verge, 15 Oct. 2026 Men shouted abuse from car windows or tried to bribe him with money, drugs, even girlfriends. — Robb Report, 9 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for bribe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bribe
  1. incentive
  2. lure
  3. fix
  4. buy
  5. stimulus
  6. seduce
  7. motivation
  8. entice
Noun
  • The departures concentrated in September 2025, when the administration's incentive programs for resignation and early retirement took effect.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Congress should pass legislation that ensures predictable payments that reflect fair market rates and removes incentives to exploit arbitration while preserving strong protections against surprise bills.
    — Christian Swann, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of incentive
Verb
  • Last month, the parent company of the new Texas Stock Exchange raised $155 million in a third funding round meant to lure companies away from the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq.
    — Shelly Banjo, semafor.com, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Once Anchovy Jack settled in one area, rescuers lured him into a humane trap.
    — Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of lure
Noun
  • The collaboration will also involve testing fixes, according to Gavin Kliger, Cathedral’s CEO and co-founder.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Whoever wins Congress inherits a stack of problems due to detonate over the next two years — just in time to crater 2028 ambitions — and few have obvious fixes.
    — Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of fix
Verb
  • Although a committee of parents, teachers, students and other community leaders spelled out the need for the bond package, the voters didn’t buy in to it.
    — Elizabeth Campbell, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Nov. 2026
  • The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee also scrapped some ad buys in both states down the stretch, decisions that paid off as the party won both seats early on Tuesday night.
    — Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of buy
Noun
  • Even seemingly small increases—like switching from 10-pound to 12-pound dumbbells, for example—can provide enough of an effective stimulus to build strength without over-stressing your body.
    — Jenessa Connor, HEALTH, 3 Nov. 2026
  • China’s economy grew faster than expected in the third quarter thanks to the country’s powerful export machine, with domestic consumption still lagging and the authorities showing little interest in fiscal stimulus.
    — Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of stimulus
Verb
  • Our personal data is constantly being bought and sold by all manner of companies and organizations that use it to target us with advertisements, seduce us with scams, and otherwise waste our precious time.
    — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 4 Nov. 2026
  • The last crime, a blackmail scheme that involved hiring a prostitute to seduce his sister’s husband, suggests a dubious approach to conflict management.
    — Lauren Collins, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of seduce
Noun
  • While no explosive devices have yet been found following bomb threats, the motivation behind the reports remains unclear.
    — Pau Mosquera, CNN Money, 5 Nov. 2026
  • But Pessiglione suspects that psychological factors, such as motivations and beliefs, also play a key role.
    — Cody Cottier, Scientific American, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of motivation
Verb
  • Once the victim engages in a back-and-forth, a supervisor experienced in emotional manipulation takes over to build a relationship and entice the victim to hand over their money.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Only a handful of new acts a year develop with the profile and following to entice that kind of spending on physical product from their fans, but there’s no shortage of such acts to be found in the past.
    — Eric Renner Brown, Billboard, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of entice

Browse Nearby Words

bribable
bribe
bribed
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Cite this Entry

“Bribe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bribe. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

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