bribe

[ brahyb ]
See synonyms for: bribebribedbribingbribable on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. money or any other valuable consideration given or promised with a view to corrupting the behavior of a person, especially in that person's performance as an athlete, public official, etc.: The motorist offered the arresting officer a bribe to let him go.

  2. anything given or serving to persuade or induce: The children were given candy as a bribe to be good.

verb (used with object),bribed, brib·ing.
  1. to give or promise a bribe to: They bribed the reporter to forget about what he had seen.

  2. to influence or corrupt by a bribe: The judge was too honest to be bribed.

verb (used without object),bribed, brib·ing.
  1. to give a bribe; practice bribery.

Origin of bribe

1
1350–1400; Middle English <Middle French: remnant of food given as alms, said to be < an expressive base *bri(m)b- denoting something small

Other words from bribe

  • brib·a·ble, bribe·a·ble, adjective
  • brib·a·bil·i·ty, bribe·a·bil·i·ty, noun
  • brib·ee, noun
  • briber, noun
  • outbribe, verb (used with object), out·bribed, out·brib·ing.
  • un·brib·a·ble, adjective
  • un·brib·a·bly, adverb
  • un·bribed, adjective
  • un·brib·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use bribe in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bribe

bribe

/ (braɪb) /


verb
  1. to promise, offer, or give something, usually money, to (a person) to procure services or gain influence, esp illegally

noun
  1. a reward, such as money or favour, given or offered for this purpose

  2. any persuasion or lure

  1. a length of flawed or damaged cloth removed from the main piece

Origin of bribe

1
C14: from Old French briber to beg, of obscure origin

Derived forms of bribe

  • bribable or bribeable, adjective
  • briber, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012