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
bribed; bribing
: 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
: to practice bribery
Synonyms
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
Anabel Sosa, Los Angeles Times, 12 Dec. 2024
In April, a former chief inspector of the State Bank was given life in prison for accepting a five-million-dollar bribe to overlook financial problems at SCB.
—Amanda Gerut, Fortune Asia, 12 Dec. 2024
Reuters, CNN, 18 Dec. 2024
The suit has raised new questions about fairness in college admissions, evoking comparisons to the Operation Varsity Blues scandal, in which a slew of celebrities and business tycoons were embroiled in a massive fraud scheme to bribe their way into prestigious colleges.
—Zachary Schermele, USA TODAY, 18 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for bribe 
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Noun
Edgar Cisneros, the former city manager of Commerce, also pleaded guilty in the plot in which local officials allegedly took bribes to hand out permits for marijuana businesses.
—Anabel Sosa, Los Angeles Times, 12 Dec. 2024
In April, a former chief inspector of the State Bank was given life in prison for accepting a five-million-dollar bribe to overlook financial problems at SCB.
—Amanda Gerut, Fortune Asia, 12 Dec. 2024
Verb
Sarkozy, a conservative who remains an important figure in French politics even after leaving office in 2012, had been found guilty by a lower court of trying to bribe a judge and of peddling influence in exchange for confidential information about a probe into his 2007 campaign finances.
—Reuters, CNN, 18 Dec. 2024
The suit has raised new questions about fairness in college admissions, evoking comparisons to the Operation Varsity Blues scandal, in which a slew of celebrities and business tycoons were embroiled in a massive fraud scheme to bribe their way into prestigious colleges.
—Zachary Schermele, USA TODAY, 18 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for bribe
Dictionary Entries Near bribe
Cite this Entry
“Bribe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bribe. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids 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
briber
noun
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