bribe
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.
anything given or serving to persuade or induce: The children were given candy as a bribe to be good.
to give or promise a bribe to: They bribed the reporter to forget about what he had seen.
to influence or corrupt by a bribe: The judge was too honest to be bribed.
Origin of bribe
1Other 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
Once again, McFadden bribed the guards to allow her and her friends inside San Pedro.
Cocaine, Politicians and Wives: Inside the World’s Most Bizarre Prison | Jason Batansky | October 12, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTWhen Michele Bachmann claimed in 2011 that a supporter had been bribed to defect to Ron Paul, observers rolled their eyes.
Donors also apparently have a lot in common with kindergarteners who need to be bribed into napping.
Speed Read: Kenneth Vogel’s ‘Big Money’ Shows How PACs Control Politics | William O’Connor | June 9, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHe bribed a superior to let him take a two-day leave, saying he needed to visit family in Damascus.
Fearful of a U.S. Strike, Defectors Flee the Syrian Army | Mike Giglio | September 5, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTWithout a bribed official, a halcyon, or eagle, will watch the entry point with binoculars for patterns and opportunities.
The Devil’s Drug: The True Story of Meth in New Mexico | Nick Romeo | August 24, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
Bribed by the prisoner, he fled with him, carrying a portion of the hidden treasure of the Republic.
Repertory Of The Comedie Humaine, Complete, A -- Z | Anatole Cerfberr and Jules Franois ChristopheShe sent for him to Kingston house and threatened, bribed, argued, and wept for about two hours.
Private Letters of Edward Gibbon (1753-1794) Volume 1 (of 2) | Edward GibbonOne of the beadles, however, was bribed with a double fee, and Bentley offered no resistance.
A History of the Cambridge University Press | S. C. RobertsHe stormed and wheedled, threatened and bribed; the obnoxious instrument was constantly brandished before his eyes.
Alone | Marion HarlandHe bribed the artillery-men; and they put him with his arm round the guns muzzle, instead of with his back to it.
The Cradle of Mankind | W.A. Wigram
British Dictionary definitions for bribe
/ (braɪb) /
to promise, offer, or give something, usually money, to (a person) to procure services or gain influence, esp illegally
a reward, such as money or favour, given or offered for this purpose
any persuasion or lure
a length of flawed or damaged cloth removed from the main piece
Origin of bribe
1Derived 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
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