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
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
Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
The separation comes five years after the couple were ensnared in the college admissions scandal, pleading guilty to wire and mail fraud related to paying hundreds of thousands in bribes to get their daughters into the University of Southern California.
—Brie Stimson , Larry Fink, FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 2025
Jordana Comiter, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2025
Executives at a company that owns strip clubs around the country — including five in Denver — have been charged with bribing a New York official with free trips to some of the venues and with private dances to avoid paying more than $8 million in sales taxes, authorities said Tuesday.
—Dave Collins, Denver Post, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bribe
Noun
Rhode Island Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse later asked Bondi about the investigation into whether border czar Tom Homan received $50,000 as a bribe.
—Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
The separation comes five years after the couple were ensnared in the college admissions scandal, pleading guilty to wire and mail fraud related to paying hundreds of thousands in bribes to get their daughters into the University of Southern California.
—Brie Stimson , Larry Fink, FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 2025
Verb
Officials allege that Bester bribed several prison employees into helping with his escape plan, including conning his way into an isolation cell that was located near a fire escape and in an area with limited cameras, per the docuseries, NBC News and GroundUp.
—Jordana Comiter, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2025
Executives at a company that owns strip clubs around the country — including five in Denver — have been charged with bribing a New York official with free trips to some of the venues and with private dances to avoid paying more than $8 million in sales taxes, authorities said Tuesday.
—Dave Collins, Denver Post, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bribe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bribe
Noun
-
Washington can stomach Sarr’s undisciplined shot diet because the team, still early in its rebuild, has little incentive to win right now.—
Josh Robbins,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
-
Finance is full of bad incentives and outright exploitation.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
There are other projects in the works as well, but Academy is currently Paramount+’s best hope for the franchise’s future and for luring, well, the next generation.—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Oct. 2025
-
Decades before the internet, Gunness exploited men’s loneliness — luring them to her hog farm with the promise of romance and sending many to a shallow grave beneath the Indiana soil.—
Christina Coulter,
PEOPLE,
11 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
So many of the answers — and the fixes ahead of Sunday’s game — will have to come from within.—
Jeff Zrebiec,
New York Times,
8 Oct. 2025
-
The Perks of Living in a Mall Adding housing options to shopping malls would offer an immediate—if partial—fix to the shortage in the country, experts say.—
Giulia Carbonaro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
He was thrilled when, at age 12, his parents bought a Baldwin grand piano secondhand from the University of Central Arkansas.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
11 Oct. 2025
-
If viewers buy into this concept of a mobile academy, season 3 won't be far behind.—
Nick Romano,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Part of what has led to this situation is the cheap money flowing into markets in recent years thanks to the ballooning national debt used to fuel stimulus as well as quantitative easing during the COVID pandemic.—
Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez,
Fortune,
9 Oct. 2025
-
Investors interpreted the outcome as signaling continued stimulus and a steady hand at the Bank of Japan, easing fears of policy tightening in the near term.—
Yun Li,
CNBC,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Countless service members were seduced by the region’s beauty and fair weather and chose to settle here.—
Gary Robbins,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
12 Oct. 2025
-
Models walking his sultry runway seduced the audience in beautiful suiting, a dress with a plunging neckline that mirrored an equally high slit.—
Fiona Sinclair Scott,
CNN Money,
8 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Wilfried cited patriotism as his only motivation for voting.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
12 Oct. 2025
-
Another big motivation for living together?—
Jennifer Ludden,
NPR,
12 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
In early September, Jakarta police alleged that some TikTok users purposefully broadcast live during the violence to entice viewers into giving them gifts or virtual prizes that can be exchanged for cash.—
Chad de Guzman,
Time,
6 Oct. 2025
-
There's something wicked about building horror movies around toys, dolls, and other kid-friendly touchstones; they're bound to entice (and potentially scar) curious young audiences more than usual.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bribe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bribe. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share