suborn

[suh-bawrn]

verb (used with object)

1. to bribe or induce (someone) unlawfully or secretly to perform some misdeed or to commit a crime

   The drug cartel suborned the local police department to turn a blind eye to their trafficking.

2. Law.

   1. to induce (a person, especially a witness) to give false testimony.

   2. to obtain (false testimony) from a witness.

suborn

/ ˌsʌbɔːˈneɪʃən, səˈbɔːn, sʌˈbɔːnətɪv /

verb

1. to bribe, incite, or instigate (a person) to commit a wrongful act

2. criminal law to induce (a witness) to commit perjury

Other Word Forms

• subornation noun
• subornative adjective
• suborner noun
• unsuborned adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of suborn¹

First recorded in 1525–35; from Latin subornāre “to instigate secretly, prepare clandestinely,” originally, “to supply,” equivalent to sub-, preposition and prefix + ornāre “to equip,” from an assumed ordnāre, a derivative of the noun ordō (stem ordin- ) “line, row, rank, grade”; sub-, order

Word History and Origins

Origin of suborn¹

C16: from Latin subornāre, from sub- secretly + ornāre to furnish

Example Sentences

Why else would Sarkozy already have been convicted on two other charges of corruption – once for trying to suborn a judge, and another time for illegal campaign funding?

Read more on BBC

"It is absolutely an adversary in some areas, which tries to steal our intellectual property, or suborn our citizens," says Lord Ricketts.

Read more on BBC

The newly elected disrict attorney said his office's stance on the case could change if the brothers "completely accept responsibility for their lies of self-defense and the attempted suborning of perjury they engaged in".

Read more on BBC

Lawyers can't advise you to lie, or they will be suborning perjury.

Read more on Salon

Stanford’s former sailing coach pleaded guilty to conspiring with Singer, but no evidence has emerged that Singer suborned any coaches or officials at Harvard.

Read more on Los Angeles Times