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
Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026
Washington accused Rubén Rocha Moya and other officials, including a senator, of protecting the Sinaloa Cartel in exchange for bribes and electoral support.
—Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 30 Apr. 2026
Andrew Brown, Hartford Courant, 1 May 2026
Cameron Scott Jared Mayo, who is facing charges for sodomizing an 8-year-old girl, tried to bribe the girl's mother with a house to drop the charges in January, a Virginia prosecutor alleged.
—Robert McGreevy, FOXNews.com, 1 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for bribe
Noun
In 2012, county assessor John Noguez was charged with accepting bribes in return for lower property assessments, leading to a court battle that’s still going.
—Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026
Washington accused Rubén Rocha Moya and other officials, including a senator, of protecting the Sinaloa Cartel in exchange for bribes and electoral support.
—Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 30 Apr. 2026
Verb
Both Zervas and Ziogas have both pleaded guilty to bribing Diamantis.
—Andrew Brown, Hartford Courant, 1 May 2026
Cameron Scott Jared Mayo, who is facing charges for sodomizing an 8-year-old girl, tried to bribe the girl's mother with a house to drop the charges in January, a Virginia prosecutor alleged.
—Robert McGreevy, FOXNews.com, 1 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for bribe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bribe
Noun
-
The 12-team College Football Playoff has already created incentives for easier schedules.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
10 May 2026
-
Most companies haven’t yet adjusted its employee metrics and incentives to fit with how AI is changing work, Microsoft said in its report, which surveyed 20,000 workers using AI across 10 countries.—
Lisa Eadicicco,
CNN Money,
10 May 2026
Verb
-
House Bill 1030 proposed to lure data center developers to the state by offering them sales tax breaks in exchange for complying with regulations.—
Nick Coltrain,
Denver Post,
8 May 2026
-
The prosecution argued that Bryant had encountered Morales before and likely followed her from the Sterling Glen Apartments, then either lured her with his badge or forced her into his truck before killing her and leaving her body in the woods.—
Mason Leath,
ABC News,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
There are books on everything from how to leverage dopamine for dressing well to dressmaking, from how to deploy dopamine fixes for weight loss to rewiring our brain’s dopamine to achieve athletic success.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 May 2026
-
Maintain your home as a haven from summertime humidity and prevent potential problems with simple tricks and fixes.—
Hallie Milstein,
Southern Living,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
However, rights groups, including Global Witness, have long urged jewelers to avoid buying Burmese gemstones, saying the trade helps fund the country's military governments, according to The Associated Press.—
Sophia Compton,
FOXNews.com,
11 May 2026
-
During the liquidation process, other airlines will buy Spirit’s planes, hire some of its former employees, and, eventually, take over its slots, including those at the Marine Air Terminal.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
11 May 2026
Noun
-
Higher-income households cut back more on their gas consumption four years ago than in March, while poorer households likely benefited more from government stimulus programs in 2022.—
Christopher Rugaber,
Los Angeles Times,
7 May 2026
-
Heightened uncertainty impacts the labor market with a lag, and the fiscal stimulus from higher refunds will eventually wane, particularly as gas prices remain elevated.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
The sister of King Charles III is rarely seduced by trends, fashions, or labels.—
Laura Scafati,
Vanity Fair,
9 May 2026
-
Onscreen, Andy was being seduced by a heavily jawed man with blond hair.—
Anna Wiener,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
But much of the talk centered on health and motivation.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
8 May 2026
-
Others contain hidden structures of motivation.—
Joshua Rothman,
New Yorker,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
In December, the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, or DEEP, began holding meetings to inform the public of the possibility of building more nuclear reactors within the state, hoping to entice a town to host one.—
Krisztian Elcsics,
Hartford Courant,
12 May 2026
-
Companies will test the boundaries Boyden speculated that offering different prices based on how much a customer uses a service, or advertising in particular ways to entice customers who are more likely to infringe, might constitute tailoring a service for piracy.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
11 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bribe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bribe. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
