bribery
Americannoun
plural
briberiesnoun
Usage
What does bribery mean? Bribery is the act of giving money (or something else of value) to someone to get them to do something you want them to do, especially something they’re not supposed to do.In other words, bribery is the act of bribing someone—offering them a bribe.In most cases, this refers to the often illegal act of offering money to people in official positions, like politicians, government officials, or sports referees, in order to get them to change an outcome to be more favorable to the person offering the bribe. For example, a businessperson might bribe a senator to vote a certain way, which is of course illegal.Bribery can also refer to the practice of offering someone an incentive to do something, especially a child, as in I tried offering the kids TV time as a reward for cleaning up their room, but apparently bribery doesn’t work because they didn’t do it. Bribery can also refer to the exchange or acceptance of a bribe, but it most commonly refers to the act of offering it.Example: The video clearly shows the lobbyist presenting the senator a briefcase full of money and asking for a favorable vote—it’s an open-and-shut case of bribery.
Etymology
Origin of bribery
1350–1400; Middle English briberie theft < Middle French: begging. See bribe, -ery
Compare meaning
How does bribery compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The 65-year-old, who sat in the dock at Southwark Crown Court taking notes on the third day of the trial, is accused of multiple bribery counts stemming from a years-long investigation.
From Barron's
Also on trial is industry executive Olatimbo Ayinde, 54, who is charged with one count of bribery relating to Alison-Madueke and a separate count of bribery of a foreign public official.
From BBC
She denies five counts of accepting bribes and a charge of conspiracy to commit bribery.
From BBC
Hastings has pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aiding and abetting bribery in sports.
He previously covered the world of corporate compliance, including how companies manage the risks associated with bribery and corruption, economic sanctions and other laws and regulations.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
