suborn

[ suh-bawrn ]
/ səˈbɔrn /

verb (used with object)

to bribe or induce (someone) unlawfully or secretly to perform some misdeed or to commit a crime.
Law.
  1. to induce (a person, especially a witness) to give false testimony.
  2. to obtain (false testimony) from a witness.

QUIZZES

DO YOU KNOW THIS VOCABULARY FROM "THE HANDMAID'S TALE"?

"The Handmaid's Tale" was required reading for many of us in school. Everyone else has probably watched the very popular and addictive TV show. Do you remember this vocabulary from the book, and do you know what these terms mean?
Question 1 of 10
decorum
the act of or need for making up one's mind.
dignified propriety of behavior, speech, dress, etc.
a company of singers, especially an organized group employed in church service.
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Origin of suborn

1525–35; < Latin subornāre to instigate secretly, orig., to supply, equivalent to sub- sub- + ornāre to equip; see adorn

OTHER WORDS FROM suborn

sub·or·na·tion [suhb-awr-ney-shuh n] /ˌsʌb ɔrˈneɪ ʃən/, nounsub·or·na·tive [suh-bawr-nuh-tiv] /səˈbɔr nə tɪv/, adjectivesub·orn·er, nounun·sub·orned, adjective

Words nearby suborn

subordinated, subordinated debt, subordinating conjunction, subordination, subordinationism, suborn, subornation of perjury, suboscine, subotica, suboxide, subpapular
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to suborned

instigate, incite, procure, bribe

Example sentences from the Web for suborned

British Dictionary definitions for suborned

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

Derived forms of suborn

subornation (ˌsʌbɔːˈneɪʃən), nounsubornative (sʌˈbɔːnətɪv), adjectivesuborner, noun

Word Origin for suborn

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