bribe

1 of 2

noun

1
: money or favor given or promised in order to influence the judgment or conduct of a person in a position of trust
police officers accused of taking bribes
2
: something that serves to induce or influence
offered the kid a bribe to finish his homework

bribe

2 of 2

verb

bribed; bribing

transitive verb

: to influence the judgment or conduct of (someone) with or as if with offers of money or favor : to induce or influence by or as if by bribery
attempting to bribe a judge
bribing a child with candy

intransitive verb

: to practice bribery
bribable adjective
bribee noun
briber noun

Examples of bribe in a Sentence

Noun I offered the children a bribe for finishing their homework. that judge refused a huge bribe to dismiss the charges against the wealthy defendant Verb She was arrested for attempting to bribe a judge. They bribed him to keep quiet about the incident. We bribed the children with candy.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Porteous was convicted by the Senate in December 2010 on charges of accepting bribes and making false statements under penalty of perjury. ​​Rep. Brian Bennett, TIME, 18 Mar. 2025 The Public Integrity Section is responsible for bringing high profile cases against public officials who are accused of accepting bribes or flouting election laws. Rebecca Beitsch, The Hill, 12 Mar. 2025
Verb
Since 1977, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) has prohibited U.S. companies and individuals from bribing foreign officials to gain a business advantage. Henry Gass, The Christian Science Monitor, 28 Feb. 2025 In addition, longtime Coral Gables police officer Edwin Pagan III, a deputized DEA agent, was charged in November with playing a supporting role in the conspiracy to bribe Costanzo with tens of thousands of dollars for access to confidential information about drug-trafficking suspects. Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 13 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for bribe

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English, morsel given to a beggar, bribe, from Anglo-French, morsel

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1528, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of bribe was in the 15th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bribe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bribe. Accessed 21 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

bribe

1 of 2 noun
: something given or promised to a person in order to influence a decision or action dishonestly

bribe

2 of 2 verb
bribed; bribing
: to influence or try to influence by a bribe
bribable adjective
briber noun

Legal Definition

bribe

1 of 2 noun
: a benefit (as money) given, promised, or offered in order to influence the judgment or conduct of a person in a position of trust (as an official or witness) compare kickback

bribe

2 of 2 transitive verb
bribed; bribing
: to influence (a person) by giving a bribe

More from Merriam-Webster on bribe

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!