Thesaurus results for BRIBES

bribes 1 of 2

noun

plural of bribe

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

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bribes

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of bribe

as in buys

to influence someone with a bribe meat inspectors were bribed, and the contaminated beef was sold to the public

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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 bribes

Noun

Over time, the brother earned the trust of party loyalists and built close relationships with local security officers, aided by bribes. —

Mike Valerio, CNN Money, 19 Apr. 2026 Christopher and Joseph Ponzo — ex-Stoneham police officers — defrauded a company to obtain tens of millions of dollars of Mass Save funds through paying bribes and kickbacks to company employees. —

Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 4 Apr. 2026 According to The Associated Press, prosecutors are investigating whether the sisters accepted bribes or kickbacks in connection with the appropriation of city funds to a migrant shelter provider. —

Cbs New York Team, CBS News, 31 Mar. 2026 The feds are separately probing whether Louis and her sister, who works in intergovernmental affairs for Hochul, accepted bribes or kickbacks in connection with the appropriation of city funds to a migrant shelter provider, according to search warrants obtained by The Associated Press. —

Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 31 Mar. 2026 By then the city had already paid $11 million in settlements and $20 million to outside law firms over nine years to defend cases involving Watts, who led a crew of tactical officers accused of framing innocent people who wouldn’t pay bribes. —

Joe Mahr, Chicago Tribune, 29 Mar. 2026 Federal prosecutors in South Florida later charged him with conspiracy to launder money and pay bribes to Venezuelan officials. —

Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2026 Do is serving a five-year federal prison sentence for accepting more than $550,000 in bribes to direct his share of the COVID funds to certain charities, primarily one that employed his daughter, Rhiannon. —

Tony Saavedra, Oc Register, 17 Mar. 2026 In January, federal prosecutors accused 39 college-basketball players across 17 Division I teams of taking bribes from gamblers to underperform. —

Mckay Coppins, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2026

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

The Good Jobs First report recommends that all states fully report their losses from data center tax breaks, including how those incentives affect local revenue streams.

— Kevin Hardy, Baltimore Sun, 20 Apr. 2026
While the sales increases in some cases were aided by tax incentives and new emissions rules, the figures point to how global fleets are rapidly electrifying in response to the war in Iran.

— Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 20 Apr. 2026