bribe
noun
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..
bribed
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past participleof bribe.past participle
A verb form used in perfect and passive verb constructions and that can also function as a modifier.
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past tense formof bribe.past tense
Used to describe completed actions or previous habitual actions.
bribenounmoney 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..
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 country’s largest wine and spirits distributor has entered into an agreement with federal prosecutors to resolve allegations that its executives and employees bribed alcohol retailers for favorable placement of certain products.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
Sure enough, the Taliban launched Chinese-made rockets at the base after dark, planted there, we were told, by farmers who had been either bribed or coerced into doing so.
From BBC ● Jan. 23, 2026
More recently, as China assailed Japan, text messages and photos that Taiwan officials said came from the Chinese military spread the claim that Takaichi had been bribed by Taiwanese diplomats.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 15, 2026
Standing amid an array of workstations, a volunteer explained how his team identified sympathetic individuals to buy medicine and food from Damascus, and middlemen who bribed supplies past government checkpoints into Sweida.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 21, 2025
“I bribed that soldier with all the money I have. Now you will produce what I will feed my child, do you understand?”
From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
