bribe

[ brahyb ]

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.

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

Derived Forms

• ˈbriber, noun
• ˈbribable, adjective

Other Words From

• briba·ble bribea·ble adjective
• briba·bili·ty bribea·bili·ty noun
• brib·ee noun
• briber noun
• outbribe verb (used with object) outbribed outbribing
• un·briba·ble adjective
• un·briba·bly adverb
• un·bribed adjective
• un·bribing adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of bribe¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of bribe¹

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

Example Sentences

Cocaine busts, tax cheats, and bribe-taking, born-again Christians: Welcome to the political scandals of 2014.

From The Daily Beast

In a sense, she attempts to bribe the pastor, offering to make his church her home.

From The Daily Beast

But at least in Moscow, a bribe or a good connection stand you a fighting chance to get what you need.

From The Daily Beast

Asked if he did anything wrong, Cianci responded simply, “I was not guilty of conspiracy to take a bribe.”

From The Daily Beast

“I did not have enough money to bribe the judge, so I decided to become a mercenary,” Mozhayev told a local reporter.

From The Daily Beast

If you knew an honourable man was to be offered a bribe to do a dishonourable act, you would feel sure he would refuse it.

From Project Gutenberg

It throve because it came with the tempting bribe of Heaven in one hand, and the withering threat of Hell in the other.

From Project Gutenberg

Father is in a rage because I will not stay home; he offered me to-day the deed for two hundred acres as a bribe.

From Project Gutenberg

He tried to bribe us to let him go, and made us repeated offers until he reached a figure as high as ten thousand dollars.

From Project Gutenberg

He said he had sat the whole day at the Central Station watching passengers giving bribe to procure their tickets.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• buy off
• corrupt
• entice
• pay off
• seduce
• tempt