as in lured
to influence someone with a bribe
meat inspectors were bribed, and the contaminated beef was sold to the public
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Recent Examples of bribed
Some kids run at the sound of running water in the bathtub; others need to be bribed just to look at a vegetable.
—
Elisabeth Sherman, Parents, 16 Jan. 2026
College basketball players were bribed to throw games and enrich sports gamblers during a recent period from September 2022 to February of last year.
—Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 16 Jan. 2026
Either that or the wrong people had been bribed.
—Literary Hub, 12 Jan. 2026
Allegations that Tran bribed a witness have jeopardized a series of murder cases in Oakland, led several high-ranking police leaders to be disciplined and leveled a blow to OPD’s timeline for exiting oversight.
—Shomik Mukherjee, Mercury News, 25 Nov. 2025
Members of Congress were bribed.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 23 Nov. 2025
Seemingly unstoppable, only one person stands in his way — a tenacious prosecutor, Jang Geon-young (played by Jung) who can’t be bought or bribed.
—Sara Merican, Deadline, 12 Nov. 2025
Esformes even bribed the basketball coach at the University of Pennsylvania to classify his son as a scholarship athlete, according to a trial witness.
—Kevin G. Hall, Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
According to the indictment, RCI executives bribed an auditor with the New York Department of Taxation and Finance to avoid paying over $8 million in sales taxes to New York City and the state.
—Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Oct. 2025
Elisabeth Sherman, Parents, 16 Jan. 2026
College basketball players were bribed to throw games and enrich sports gamblers during a recent period from September 2022 to February of last year.
—Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 16 Jan. 2026
Either that or the wrong people had been bribed.
—Literary Hub, 12 Jan. 2026
Allegations that Tran bribed a witness have jeopardized a series of murder cases in Oakland, led several high-ranking police leaders to be disciplined and leveled a blow to OPD’s timeline for exiting oversight.
—Shomik Mukherjee, Mercury News, 25 Nov. 2025
Members of Congress were bribed.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 23 Nov. 2025
Seemingly unstoppable, only one person stands in his way — a tenacious prosecutor, Jang Geon-young (played by Jung) who can’t be bought or bribed.
—Sara Merican, Deadline, 12 Nov. 2025
Esformes even bribed the basketball coach at the University of Pennsylvania to classify his son as a scholarship athlete, according to a trial witness.
—Kevin G. Hall, Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
According to the indictment, RCI executives bribed an auditor with the New York Department of Taxation and Finance to avoid paying over $8 million in sales taxes to New York City and the state.
—Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bribed
Verb
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Especially after Brexit, Milan has become the destination of choice for millionaires lured by the 2017 change in Italian tax policies, which features a 7% flat tax for retirees and new residents on foreign income.—
Scott M. Reid,
Oc Register,
30 Jan. 2026
-
The Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, the majority stakeholder of LIV Golf, quickly lured away some of the former top stars on the PGA Tour by offering them massive deals, including Koepka, Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson and Cameron Smith.—
Mary Whitfill Roeloffs,
Forbes.com,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Released in 1994, Sátántangó (based on László Krasznahorka’s novel) chronicled an impoverished Hungarian village that becomes seduced by a would-be prophet who has seemingly come back from the dead.—
Tim Grierson,
Rolling Stone,
6 Jan. 2026
-
This year, we were seduced by silver trays and a new take on the TV-dinner table.—
Kate McGregor,
Architectural Digest,
26 Dec. 2025
Verb
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An Associated Press investigation found that unwitting Bangladeshi workers were enticed to Russia under the false promise of civilian work before being thrown into combat in Ukraine.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
28 Jan. 2026
-
An Associated Press investigation found that unwitting Bangladeshi workers were enticed to Russia under the false promise of civilian work before being thrown into combat in Ukraine.—
Kamila Hrabchuk,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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But the demonstrations are diffuse and largely leaderless, and Pezeshkian’s efforts at mediation — and the killings and arrests by security forces — have not persuaded the protesters to stay off the streets.—
Henry Austin,
NBC news,
7 Jan. 2026
-
The paintings worked because viewers did not need to be persuaded that these scenes mattered.—
Philip Martin,
Washington Post,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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So its understandable that you might be tempted to let mom handle your daughters' education and support during menstruation.—
Christian Dashiell,
Parents,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Would he be tempted to go in that direction and also get shiny objects?—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Prosecutors allege Richins poisoned her husband with a cocktail laced with illicit fentanyl while the couple was celebrating at their home in March 2022.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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In early 2025, Milwaukee discovered that lead paint had poisoned at least four students in its public schools.—
Hanna Rosin,
The Atlantic,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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At some point before the end of the season, before that Bills game, Glenn had initial conversations with veteran coach Wink Martindale about the idea of becoming Glenn’s defensive coordinator.—
Zack Rosenblatt,
New York Times,
28 Jan. 2026
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On the day Alex Pretti was killed, my block had its own candlelit vigil.—
Katherine Packert Burke,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Tracy Anderson believes most people today have had their attention spans hijacked by social media and their perception of beauty corrupted by trends.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
24 Jan. 2026
-
His mind is warped, his sense of morality corrupted.—
Peter Wehner,
The Atlantic,
9 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bribed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bribed. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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