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.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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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. 2023

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