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
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Recent Examples of bribe
Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 27 Oct. 2025
During that same period, Blain is alleged to have offered or agreed to receive a bribe with the understanding that his official vote and judgment would be influenced, according to the document.
—Susan Gill Vardon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Oct. 2025
Taylor Grothe, Parents, 17 Oct. 2025
The indictment accuses Smartmatic and a number of employees of bribing a Philippine official in order to retain business, specifically in relation to the purchase of voting machines in the 2016 Philippines election.
—Olivia Rubin, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bribe
Noun
Lauro, himself a former federal prosecutor, previously represented former NBA official Tim Donaghy, who was charged with betting on league games and accepting bribes to influence his calls.
—Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 27 Oct. 2025
During that same period, Blain is alleged to have offered or agreed to receive a bribe with the understanding that his official vote and judgment would be influenced, according to the document.
—Susan Gill Vardon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Oct. 2025
Verb
Don’t bribe—empathize Bribing picky eaters with dessert is a common tactic parents use to get to the end of the meal.
—Taylor Grothe, Parents, 17 Oct. 2025
The indictment accuses Smartmatic and a number of employees of bribing a Philippine official in order to retain business, specifically in relation to the purchase of voting machines in the 2016 Philippines election.
—Olivia Rubin, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bribe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bribe
Noun
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Best practices range from transparent pricing backed by data to trust-building expertise, financial incentives, and simple seller experiences for resale.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
4 Nov. 2025
-
Pachón cited box office concentration and a waning appetite for exploration, compounded by insufficient incentives for theaters.—
Emiliano De Pablos,
Variety,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Scream 7 casting seems designed to lure fans back in.—
Alejandra Gularte,
Vulture,
31 Oct. 2025
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Police were dispatched to the scene and the owner eventually lured the pet back down to the ground by bribing it with a cookie.—
Ella Gonzales,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The 31-year-old Melbourne native recalls that the two were tinkering away endlessly to get everything just right, still making fixes to the lyrics two hours after the mixes were due.—
Josh Glicksman,
Billboard,
4 Nov. 2025
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The fix is arriving through the optional KB5067036 update for Windows 11 25H2, which Microsoft began rolling out last week.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
If this year’s March and June get-togethers were learning exercises — including for the staff after Tuchel began work in January — the next two and the one starting today (Sunday) are all about creating an atmosphere the players and the English public can all buy into.—
Jack Pitt-Brooke,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
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Cureate does not warehouse or distribute food products, the company buys purchases the food order and the farmer delivers it to the customer, Bryden said.—
Cristina LaRue,
Arkansas Online,
9 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The salience network, which responds to external stimuli.—
Angelica Bottaro,
Verywell Health,
6 Nov. 2025
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Without being able to compute directly from real stimuli, perceptual models could capture ideas in theory but fail simple real-world tests.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Guided by director David Lynch, Ladd had a field day with Marietta, who tries to seduce her daughter’s boyfriend (Nicolas Cage).—
Chris Koseluk,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Nov. 2025
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Farrell plays John, the ambitious and chatty servant who is seduced by the mistress of the house (Jessica Chastain), as a nervous bundle of energy who becomes more agonized and frantic over the course of the film.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Spontaneity delivered 24 frames per second will be prioritized over preparation and motivation.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
31 Oct. 2025
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Duncan’s announcement caused some of his former political allies to question his motivations.—
Taylor Millard,
The Washington Examiner,
31 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.—
Alexander Onukwue,
semafor.com,
4 Nov. 2025
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There were questions swirling over whether Nintendo’s Switch 2 would be different enough from its predecessor to entice users.—
Arjun Kharpal,
CNBC,
4 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bribe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bribe. Accessed 10 Nov. 2025.
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