as in incentives
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
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as in buys
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 bribes
Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
In the Oakland case, prosecutors say Thao accepted bribes from the Duongs in the form of political favors and a $95,000 no-show job for Jones.
—Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 6 Nov. 2025
Protesters who spoke with Reuters railed against the extortion and violence common in Michoacán, where lemon and avocado farmers are often forced to pay exorbitant bribes to drug trafficking groups.
—Max Saltman, CNN Money, 4 Nov. 2025
Over the summer, officials in Turkey — where the lawsuit says some of the allegedly fraudulent Drake streams originated — started investigating Spotify over several allegations, including bribes for playlist placement and bot streams distorting domestic charts.
—Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 3 Nov. 2025
Sliwa claims to have been offered ten million dollars, across seven bribes, to step aside.
—Naaman Zhou, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025
The owners themselves usually remained in detention only briefly, released once bribes were paid on their behalf.
—Snigdha Poonam, The Dial, 28 Oct. 2025
They were accused of paying bribes to secure Bella and Olivia Jade’s admission into the University of Southern California.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 23 Oct. 2025
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
Rachel Brodsky, Rolling Stone, 8 Oct. 2025
Noun
The officials allegedly collected bribes to allow passage of drugs through Venezuela.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
In the Oakland case, prosecutors say Thao accepted bribes from the Duongs in the form of political favors and a $95,000 no-show job for Jones.
—Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 6 Nov. 2025
Protesters who spoke with Reuters railed against the extortion and violence common in Michoacán, where lemon and avocado farmers are often forced to pay exorbitant bribes to drug trafficking groups.
—Max Saltman, CNN Money, 4 Nov. 2025
Over the summer, officials in Turkey — where the lawsuit says some of the allegedly fraudulent Drake streams originated — started investigating Spotify over several allegations, including bribes for playlist placement and bot streams distorting domestic charts.
—Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 3 Nov. 2025
Sliwa claims to have been offered ten million dollars, across seven bribes, to step aside.
—Naaman Zhou, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025
The owners themselves usually remained in detention only briefly, released once bribes were paid on their behalf.
—Snigdha Poonam, The Dial, 28 Oct. 2025
They were accused of paying bribes to secure Bella and Olivia Jade’s admission into the University of Southern California.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 23 Oct. 2025
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
Verb
In one of the film’s most madcap and darkly comedic moments, Linda bribes her daughter with the promise of a pet hamster — who turns out to be a biter, desperate to escape its box.
—Rachel Brodsky, Rolling Stone, 8 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bribes
Noun
-
President Joe Biden's signature Inflation Reduction Act offered many incentives for the development of these alternative energy sources.—
Tom Rogers,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Germany scrapped incentives to boost purchases of fully electric vehicles about two years ago, a policy change that led to a sharp drop in demand for fully electric vehicles, initially.—
Lora Kolodny,
CNBC,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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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
-
Trading space for savings In Encinitas, Lovelace rarely buys red meat at the store anymore.—
Roxana Popescu,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
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That’s good news for customers, who are no longer satisfied with quick-and-dirty fixes that prioritize expediency over safety.—
Malana VanTyler,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
-
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
Verb
-
The Modern’s intimate bar and restaurant lures both locals and travelers with high-quality cocktails and food.—
Michael Deeds,
Idaho Statesman,
14 Oct. 2025
-
Buford wanted to understand the psychology of what lures people – usually men – to feed into the violence inspired by a sporting event.—
Ed Lavandera,
CNN Money,
11 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Everything about the scene seduces the viewer into what dining while traveling in the most luxurious fashion could be, and once was.—
Kristin L. Wolfe,
Forbes.com,
27 Aug. 2025
-
In his youth, the blue-eyed Stamp was widely considered one of the most handsome men onscreen, and Italian director Pier Paolo Pasolini used that to peculiar effect in Teorema (1968), casting the actor as a nameless and wordless visitor who seduces an entire household.—
Rhett Bartlett,
HollywoodReporter,
17 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Rather than simply attacking YoungBoy, Choppa frames himself as a corrective force, casting YoungBoy as someone who corrupts impressionable listeners.—
Jayson Buford,
Rolling Stone,
3 Nov. 2025
-
Absolute power corrupts absolutely.—
Heidi Stevens,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Aug. 2025
Verb
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With showy wine-red blossoms that perfume the garden with the distinctive aromas of chocolate and vanilla from mid-summer through fall, chocolate cosmos entices butterflies and curious gardeners alike.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
3 Oct. 2025
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The structure is illustrated below, with one player positioned on the byline and another level with the penalty area to form a triangle that entices opponents out to defend.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
14 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Technology is an ever-present disruptor that has a way of commoditizing what once felt unique, driving a kind of Moore’s law-like acceleration into every corner of our daily workflows.—
Phil Gilbert,
Fortune,
12 Nov. 2025
-
According to the explanation on the museum’s website, the use of poppies has its origins in a poem that was penned by a Canadian physician who had served as a field surgeon in Belgium during the Great War.—
Emily Curiel,
Kansas City Star,
12 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bribes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bribes. Accessed 13 Nov. 2025.
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