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
-
Kansas and Missouri have spent the past 18 months trying to secure the team through sweeping stadium-funding incentives packages — which the Chiefs used last month to announce their intentions for a move to Kansas.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
9 Jan. 2026
-
The country is largely focused on a self-sufficiency drive to build up its chipmaking capabilities, a push that’s included readying a new round of incentives of as much as $70 billion for the chip sector.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
8 Jan. 2026
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
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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
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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
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Jimenez’s movement lures Matthijs de Ligt up the pitch, stretching the right side of United’s defence, with Leny Yoro already in an advanced position to defend Iwobi.—
Ahmed Walid,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
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The region’s invigorating multiculturalism also lures visitors with calypso music, island cuisine, and its history as a port of entry to the Caribbean.—
Lydia Price,
Travel + Leisure,
18 Dec. 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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Instead of a warning event, Expeditions imagines the historical fall that corrupts the Earth.—
Nola Taylor Tillman,
Space.com,
21 Dec. 2025
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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
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
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This previously-$30 set of Merino wool socks already has an excellent value, but the new price point is even sweeter.—
Anna Popp,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Jan. 2026
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The bakery has two trailers on the property that are used for housing and as a test kitchen for the bakers.—
Austen Erblat,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bribes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bribes. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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