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
Jonathan Granoff, Newsweek, 29 Jan. 2025
He was convicted of abusing the power of his office in exchange for bribes.
—Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 29 Jan. 2025
Shomik Mukherjee, The Mercury News, 28 Jan. 2025
For years, Taiwan’s security agencies have warned about Beijing’s growing attempts to infiltrate its armed forces and their espionage activities, particularly efforts to bribe military officers in exchange for national secrets.
—Eric Cheung, CNN, 13 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for bribe 
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Noun
Prosecutors have accused Menendez of using his high office in exchange for bribes.
—Jonathan Granoff, Newsweek, 29 Jan. 2025
He was convicted of abusing the power of his office in exchange for bribes.
—Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 29 Jan. 2025
Verb
The pair are accused of bribing Thao and Jones to secure access to lucrative contracts with the city of Oakland — a blockbuster case that has cast a cloud over City Hall.
—Shomik Mukherjee, The Mercury News, 28 Jan. 2025
For years, Taiwan’s security agencies have warned about Beijing’s growing attempts to infiltrate its armed forces and their espionage activities, particularly efforts to bribe military officers in exchange for national secrets.
—Eric Cheung, CNN, 13 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for bribe
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Dictionary Entries Near bribe
Cite this Entry
“Bribe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bribe. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.
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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