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
Nick Davies, Air Mail, 30 Aug. 2025
She also is accused of obtaining 80 million won in bribes and valuables from the Unification Church in 2022, in return for her support for the organization.
—Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 29 Aug. 2025
Ronak D. Desai, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2025
In the future, Hinton warned, AI systems might be able to control humans just as easily as an adult can bribe 3-year-old with candy.
—Matt Egan, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bribe
Noun
They were charged variously with hacking the voicemail accounts of politicians, athletes, and entertainers, and paying bribes to police officers.
—Nick Davies, Air Mail, 30 Aug. 2025
She also is accused of obtaining 80 million won in bribes and valuables from the Unification Church in 2022, in return for her support for the organization.
—Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 29 Aug. 2025
Verb
In 2017, Mondelez resolved allegations that its Indian unit used a consultant to bribe government officials for licenses.
—Ronak D. Desai, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2025
In the future, Hinton warned, AI systems might be able to control humans just as easily as an adult can bribe 3-year-old with candy.
—Matt Egan, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bribe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bribe
Noun
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The projects received millions in state and local tax incentives after promising to create thousands of new jobs.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
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Both the Kansas and Missouri legislatures have extended the team’s incentive package deadlines to give them more time to make a decision.—
Taylor O'Connor,
Kansas City Star,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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This is because Curaçao has a rich legacy of live performance, with such local genres as ritmo kombina and tumba luring locals into small clubs packed with full-on mini orchestras.—
Baz Dreisinger,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
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Maybe even lure restaurants and other businesses nearby.—
Vinod Sreeharsha,
Miami Herald,
6 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Will Monange, Co-Founder of subscription creator platform, Fanvue, believes the fix isn’t more hustle, but more help – from AI powered tools.—
Matt Emma,
USA Today,
4 Sep. 2025
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Over time, these agents will handle minor fixes autonomously, leaving major exceptions for human review and ensuring no revenue is lost.—
Mikko Karkkainen,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Two tickets sold in California, two tickets bought in Georgia, and single tickets purchased in Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, Ohio and Pennsylvania all matched five numbers except for the Powerball worth $1 million each.—
Chris Sims,
IndyStar,
7 Sep. 2025
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Single tickets bought in Kansas and Texas each matched all five numbers except for the Powerball and added the Power Play worth $2 million each.—
Chris Sims,
Louisville Courier Journal,
7 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Miran has been critical of the Fed in the past, specifically taking issues with its aggressive stimulus during the Covid crisis.—
Yun Li,
CNBC,
3 Sep. 2025
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In 2022, the British prime minister backed a mini-budget featuring a raft of unfunded fiscal stimulus, spooking the City to the extent that the pound spiraled to its lowest value ever against the dollar.—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The dramatic irony, of course, is that Julia did seduce Lovat and is now trying to take advantage of a precedent set by Davina with her own son, but Julia still ends up appealing to Davina’s better angels.—
Max Gao,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Sep. 2025
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Either way, the intention is to transport, and to seduce, as with fine music.—
Douglas Unger
August 29,
Literary Hub,
29 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The primary question is the motivation of the government, First Amendment experts told The Republic.—
Taylor Seely,
AZCentral.com,
8 Sep. 2025
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All four players won the Tewaaraton Award for the most outstanding player in college lacrosse, and the quartet was a primary motivation for Law to return to the team in ’25.—
Kyle Newman,
Denver Post,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
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There are tons of enticing cold and hot drinks.—
Michael Deeds,
Idaho Statesman,
9 Sep. 2025
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Responding to the demand, and hoping to entice younger shoppers into their financial ecosystems, payment facilitators such as Cash App, the BNPL provider Klarna, the fintech bank Chime, and even American Express have recently launched their own debit cards.—
Michael Waters,
The Atlantic,
9 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bribe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bribe. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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