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.
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Recent Examples of bribe
Tracy Wright, FOXNews.com, 21 Oct. 2025
Financiers organized press offensives and enlisted top reporters as allies, offering lucrative jobs or outright bribes.
—Evan Hughes, The Atlantic, 20 Oct. 2025
Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 13 Oct. 2025
In The Simpsons’ World Cup episode, Homer is asked to referee a match after FIFA fires officials who had been bribed to call matches unfairly.
—Zoe Kaplan, PEOPLE, 11 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bribe
Noun
Their separation came five years after the couple were entangled in the Operation Varsity Blues 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.
—Tracy Wright, FOXNews.com, 21 Oct. 2025
Financiers organized press offensives and enlisted top reporters as allies, offering lucrative jobs or outright bribes.
—Evan Hughes, The Atlantic, 20 Oct. 2025
Verb
According to court records, Recio agreed to bribe Costanzo, who was the DEA supervisor in Miami, in exchange for his providing the private investigator with confidential information about narcotics investigations.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 13 Oct. 2025
In The Simpsons’ World Cup episode, Homer is asked to referee a match after FIFA fires officials who had been bribed to call matches unfairly.
—Zoe Kaplan, PEOPLE, 11 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bribe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bribe
Noun
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Feeling some heat from next door, New York sweetened its incentive package in its latest budget earlier this year.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
28 Oct. 2025
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This geopolitical calculus is complicated by immediate economic incentives.—
Rhea Mogul,
CNN Money,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
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South Korea last week issued a travel ban for parts of Cambodia after the death of a South Korean student lured to work in the scam compounds, according to police.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
25 Oct. 2025
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He is accused of luring a young girl into his van parked in the church’s parking lot or to the church’s basement to abuse the girl over and over during a seven-year period, according to the release.—
Ryanne Mena,
Oc Register,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The tech company wrote on its Azure status page that a configuration change to its Azure infrastructure caused the outage, and that its fix is being rolled out.—
Boston Herald Wire Services,
Boston Herald,
29 Oct. 2025
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Fans in the comments shared snaps of the singer from that night, praising her for a quick wardrobe fix and for still giving a great performance.—
Rachel Raposas,
PEOPLE,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
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That's how people buy aviation—safety and cost.—
James Bickerton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Oct. 2025
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While reflecting on her first performance, Furtado remembered buying the pink dress from a store called Original on Queen West in Toronto, and also picking up some sparkly platform shoes for the monumental moment.—
Angel Saunders,
PEOPLE,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
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That means more interest rate cuts to prop up hiring – financial stimulus that may further spur inflation.—
Jonathan Lansner,
Oc Register,
29 Oct. 2025
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Create the space between stimulus and response, move with intention, and know yourself.—
Fortune Editors,
Fortune,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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When they are named, the aim is to seduce with a touch of whimsy and decadence.—
Joel Hart,
Vogue,
23 Oct. 2025
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Meanwhile, a manipulative judge, Roland Brack (Nicholas Pinnock), lurks around the fringes, hoping to seduce or even blackmail the electrically attractive Hedda.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
22 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The motivation appears to be part national defense (deterring China) and part branding exercise.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
26 Oct. 2025
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The players’ motivation in this match is different.—
Guillermo Rai,
New York Times,
26 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Africa’s leading banking groups are targeting DR Congo, enticed by one of the continent’s fastest-growing economies and the promise of a lucrative mining sector, despite the ongoing conflict in the country’s east.—
Ruben Nyanguila,
semafor.com,
27 Oct. 2025
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And if Washington signed a trade deal with Pretoria, American officials might entice South Africa to work with the United States on its diplomatic efforts across the African continent.—
Richard Fontaine,
Foreign Affairs,
27 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bribe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bribe. Accessed 2 Nov. 2025.
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