suborn

[ suh-bawrn ]

/ səˈbɔrn /

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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.

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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/, nounsub·or·na·tive

[suh-bawr-nuh-tiv], /səˈbɔr nə tɪv/, adjectivesub·orn·er, nounun·sub·orned, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use suborn in a sentence

Evidence was destroyed, perjury suborned, and justice defiled.
My First Autopsy Report: Excerpt From David Berg’s ‘Run, Brother, Run’`|David Berg|June 10, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Worse, since 2006, when the investigation began, various witnesses in other countries were suspected of being suborned.
Avigdor Lieberman's Lucky Break?|Bernard Avishai|December 14, 2012|DAILY BEAST
In the 1950s, people worried that government officials who traveled abroad might have been suborned by communist agents.
'Transparency' is Overrated|David Frum|July 11, 2012|DAILY BEAST
He seduced and suborned some of its biggest stars with big paydays delivered to secret bank accounts.
Raj Deserved It|Allan Dodds Frank|October 26, 2011|DAILY BEAST

Falfani, my friend of the Calais train, believed he had suborned him at Aix, and now hailed his appearance with much satisfaction.
The Passenger from Calais|Arthur Griffiths
She suborned Silius, her son's tutor, to accuse him of a licentious life, and of corrupting the army.
Walks in Rome|Augustus J.C. Hare
Then they suborned men, which said, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God.
The Dore Gallery of Bible Illustrations, Complete|Anonymous
So Messalina had suborned her sons tutor, Silius, to accuse Asiaticus of corrupting the army.
Under Csars' Shadow|Henry Francis Colby
Several witnesses were suborned to seize upon some words in his discourses against Moses.
The Great Events by Famous Historians, Volume 03|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

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

suborn

Origin of suborn

OTHER WORDS FROM suborn

Words related to suborn

How to use suborn in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for suborn

Derived forms of suborn

Word Origin for suborn