suborn

[ suh-bawrn ]

See synonyms for: suborn suborned on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

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.
Law.
- to induce (a person, especially a witness) to give false testimony.
- to obtain (false testimony) from a witness.

Origin of suborn

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”; see origin at sub-, order

Other words from suborn

sub·or·na·tion [suhb-awr-ney-shuhn], /ˌsʌb ɔrˈneɪ ʃən/, noun
sub·or·na·tive [suh-bawr-nuh-tiv], /səˈbɔr nə tɪv/, adjective
sub·orn·er, noun
un·sub·orned, adjective

Words Nearby suborn

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use suborn in a sentence

These perfect servants never make a mistake and they cannot be suborned.
Ancient robots were objects of fantasy and fun | E. R. Truitt/MIT Press Reader | November 30, 2021 | Popular-Science
This time, the heirs of the Confederacy have learned that is more effective to suborn the government than secede.
The South Has Indeed Risen Again and It’s Called the Tea Party | Jack Schwartz | December 8, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
By rejecting this last attempt to suborn a dereliction of duty, Henry saved my reputation, my honor, my life, really.
John McCain’s Surprising Toast at Kissinger’s 90th Birthday Party | The Daily Beast | June 4, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
If Blondel tampered with any one, he would naturally, if he knew aught of the house, suborn Claude or Anne.
The Long Night | Stanley Weyman
Was there no postman or postmaster whom he could suborn to intercept them for him?
Denis Dent | Ernest W. Hornung

Meanwhile you suborn 'unwarranted belief' by making belief a matter of reward and penalty.
The English Utilitarians, Volume II (of 3) | Leslie Stephen
But the audacious Lauzun found means to suborn a well-meaning simpleton of a priest, who married them secretly the very same day.
The Memoirs of Madame de Montespan, Complete | Madame La Marquise De Montespan
For this purpose, he endeavoured to suborn a poet who lived under his patronage.
The Mirror of Taste, and Dramatic Censor | Various

British Dictionary definitions for suborn

suborn

/ (səˈbɔːn) /

verb(tr)

to bribe, incite, or instigate (a person) to commit a wrongful act
criminal law to induce (a witness) to commit perjury

Origin of suborn

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

Derived forms of suborn

subornation (ˌsʌbɔːˈneɪʃən), noun
subornative (sʌˈbɔːnətɪv), adjective
suborner, 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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