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..
had bribed
-
past perfectof bribe.past perfect
Used to express a completed action that took place before another specific past action occurred.
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.
At his sentencing, Judge P Kevin Castel called him a "two-faced politician" who had used his influence and national security forces to protect drug traffickers who had bribed and supported him.
From BBC ● May 19, 2026
For more than a decade, tax consultant Ramin Salari fought charges that he had bribed former Los Angeles County assessor John Noguez in a pay-for-play conspiracy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 13, 2023
Justice Department concluded after the fact that Qatari officials had bribed members of the selection committee, and also convinced other members they didn't bribe, for unclear reasons, to ride along.
From Salon ● Nov. 20, 2022
In March, the Hague court ruled there was not enough evidence to support the widows' assertion that Shell had bribed witnesses to give false testimony in the trial that led to the men's executions.
From Reuters ● Nov. 7, 2022
Security was particularly tight as only a few weeks before Arthur Goldreich, Harold Wolpe, Mosie Moola, and Abdulhay Jassat had bribed a young guard and escaped from jail.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
