suborn

[suh-bawrn]

verb (used with object)

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

Law.

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

Origin of suborn

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

Related formssub·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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for suborned

instigate, incite, procure, bribe

Examples from the Web for suborned

Contemporary Examples of suborned

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
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

Historical Examples of suborned

Had the Teutons suborned him the Marshal could not have done them a better turn.
Camps, Quarters and Casual Places
Archibald Forbes
The belief was that Parker was suborned to refuse longer to publish it.
Continental Monthly, Vol. 4, No 3, September 1863
Various
She mended and darned for them and suborned old women to help her.
The Rough Road
William John Locke
Spies were paid; witnesses were suborned; juries were packed.
History of Civilization in England, Vol. 1 of 3
Henry Thomas Buckle
I know that they were suborned by Probus and that they are in the power of Merridew.
The Orange Girl
Walter Besant

British Dictionary definitions for suborned

suborn

verb (tr)

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

criminal law to induce (a witness) to commit perjury

Derived Formssubornation (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

Word Origin and History for suborned

suborn

"to procure by bribery, to lure (someone) to commit a crime," 1520s (implied in subornation), from Middle French suborner (13c.), from Latin subornare "suborn," originally "equip," from sub "under, secretly" (see sub-) + ornare "equip," related to ordo "order" (see order). Related: Suborned; suborning.