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. 2023
How to use bribe in a sentence
After serving as the area’s alderman from 1983 to 1987, he was convicted of taking a bribe from an FBI informant and served 3½ years in prison.
How a Chicago Political Hangout Went From Bustling to Boarded-Up — Even After the City Promised Help | by Mick Dumke | December 17, 2020 | ProPublicaIn 2016 court testimony, Sinovac’s founder and chief executive, Yin Weidong, admitted to giving more than $83,000 in bribes from 2002 to 2011 to a regulatory official overseeing vaccine reviews, Yin Hongzhang, and his wife.
As China nears a coronavirus vaccine, bribery cloud hangs over drugmaker Sinovac | Eva Dou | December 4, 2020 | Washington PostJames Jensen, who allegedly requested the bribes, were also indicted.
Apple’s head of global security indicted on bribery charges | Reed Albergotti | November 23, 2020 | Washington PostA California district attorney accused Apple chief security officer Thomas Moyer of offering a bribe to state officials, according to indictments issued on Monday.
Apple security chief charged with offering bribe for concealed gun licenses | Verne Kopytoff | November 23, 2020 | FortuneA department head was jailed in 2016 for taking bribes from Imtech, the contractor that went bankrupt.
More than 8 years behind schedule, Berlin’s new airport opens today amid an epic crisis in air travel | David Meyer | October 31, 2020 | Fortune
He answers in the subtitle: “Probably not—and government should stop bribing people to stay there.”
The Rustbelt Roars Back From the Dead | Joel Kotkin, Richey Piiparinen | December 7, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHis usual trick: bribing the night watchman to let him into the bank.
Two charges of conspiracy to commit misconduct in public office (bribing officials) ranging from 2004 to 2012.
Rebekah Brooks Phone Hacking Trial Begins In London | Peter Jukes, Nico Hines | October 28, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTIn the late 1980s several generic-drug companies were caught fabricating data and bribing FDA officials to gain approval.
Those Generic Drugs May Not Have Been What You Thought They Were | Megan McArdle | May 17, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTThe attorney scoffs at the idea that Gristina avoided arrest for so many years by bribing the police.
Soccer Mom Allegedly Reaped Millions Running Upscale Brothel in New York | Michael Daly | March 8, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTFox set about the business of securing a majority in the commons by bribing members.
The Political History of England - Vol. X. | William HuntThe fortune of war going against him, he secured an advantageous peace by bribing the Roman general.
The Two Great Republics: Rome and the United States | James Hamilton LewisAnd authority, p. 33by bribing people to conform, produces a very gross kind of over-fed barbarism amongst us.
The Soul of Man | Oscar WildeThe news that the king was hiring Germans and bribing the Indians on the frontier to make trouble, made the Americans very angry.
The Story of the Thirteen Colonies | H. A. (Hlne Adeline) GuerberObviously he was a ship's officer, and as such he must be one of the syndicate whom Captain White and I were bribing.
Eastern Nights - and Flights | Alan Bott
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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