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
Relevance
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
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Recent Examples of bribe
Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 11 Feb. 2026
Do was sentenced in June 2025 to 60 months in prison after pleading guilty to federal charges of accepting more than $800,000 in bribes in exchange for diverting $10 million in pandemic relief money, mostly to a nonprofit that employed his daughter.
—Tony Saavedra, Oc Register, 7 Feb. 2026
Steve Patterson, Florida Times-Union, 5 Feb. 2026
Macey was charged with a conspiracy to bribe Costanzo.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 31 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bribe
Noun
Prosecutors claimed Azevedo received a $2,000 cash bribe in November of 2023 from another co-owner of the housing company Evolutionary Homes.
—Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 11 Feb. 2026
Do was sentenced in June 2025 to 60 months in prison after pleading guilty to federal charges of accepting more than $800,000 in bribes in exchange for diverting $10 million in pandemic relief money, mostly to a nonprofit that employed his daughter.
—Tony Saavedra, Oc Register, 7 Feb. 2026
Verb
Some defendants are also accused of conspiring to bribe a civilian contractor to create fraudulent military IDs for base access.
—Steve Patterson, Florida Times-Union, 5 Feb. 2026
Macey was charged with a conspiracy to bribe Costanzo.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 31 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bribe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bribe
Noun
-
Just more incentive to get down the hill as quickly as possible.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Feb. 2026
-
To be eligible for the Spirit Awards, a movie's budget cannot exceed $30 million after tax incentives.—
Jillian Sederholm,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The agency allegedly used Bank of America accounts to lure young women with fake modeling offers, while financial records suggest the bank was aware of these suspicious connections, according to plaintiff’s claims.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Feb. 2026
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On Thursday, Trantalis said Tunnel Top Plaza was in dire of need of a shade structure to lure more people to the area.—
Susannah Bryan,
Sun Sentinel,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Meyer, a longtime labor attorney, faces a situation where the fixes remain far from easy.—
Andy McCullough,
New York Times,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Many locals stopped by to get their regular fix of the Michelin Bib Gourmand-award-winning tacos served on their signature handmade blue corn tortillas.—
Andrés Soto,
USA Today,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The Czech Republic has since stopped buying Russian oil, but Hungary and Slovakia used the EU’s exemption to deepen their dependence.—
Christian Edwards,
CNN Money,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Everybody buys groceries, and everyone has felt the increase in costs over the last few years.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
16 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Her wildly optimistic logic is that fiscal stimulus will spark growth, and that the private sector will raise long-stagnant wages, thereby increasing tax revenues.—
Jeff Kingston,
Time,
15 Feb. 2026
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Smart polymers already exist and can respond to such stimuli, altering their color or shape and then returning to their original state.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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This is so outrageous that even Creepy Professor Oliver McCreepenstein, a middle-aged married man currently seducing his 17-year-old student, is aghast.—
Kathleen Walsh,
Vulture,
10 Feb. 2026
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Ahead, find 15 red velvet nail ideas that are made to seduce.—
Ariel Wodarcyk,
InStyle,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
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In any case, despite the motivations behind it the mutiny in the studio turned into a party.—
Alex Suskind,
Pitchfork,
13 Feb. 2026
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While seeking a limerent object is a good case study in unconscious motivation, perhaps the best modern example of this phenomenon in practice is the cell phone.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Indonesia plans to increase its domestic fuel production and others in the region, like the Philippines, are cutting red tape to entice fuel developers.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 Feb. 2026
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Producers, agents and executives working in the genre say the recent boom of romance in TV and film is due in great part to studios’ seeing the power of the core audience whom authors help entice to screens.—
Rebecca Keegan,
NBC news,
16 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bribe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bribe. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.
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