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
Dillon Mullan, Baltimore Sun, 3 July 2024
Under Monday’s decision, a former president could be prosecuted for accepting a bribe, but prosecutors could not mention the official act, the appointment, in their case.
—Mark Sherman, Twin Cities, 1 July 2024
Caitlin Yilek, CBS News, 3 July 2024
Recommended The Monitor's View Ballots for kinder politics Mr. Hajjar recounts seeing armed men guarding an ATM and allowing access only to those who bribed them.
—Ghada Abdulfattah, The Christian Science Monitor, 3 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for bribe 
Noun
The contract custodians are also charged with bribery and conspiracy to bribe a public employee while the former MVA employee is charged with accepting bribes and misconduct in office, according to court records in Baltimore City Circuit Court.
—Dillon Mullan, Baltimore Sun, 3 July 2024
Under Monday’s decision, a former president could be prosecuted for accepting a bribe, but prosecutors could not mention the official act, the appointment, in their case.
—Mark Sherman, Twin Cities, 1 July 2024
Verb
Part of Menendez's defense strategy has been to pin the blame on his wife, claiming the senator was unaware of his wife's financial challenges and her dealings with the businessmen accused of bribing them.
—Caitlin Yilek, CBS News, 3 July 2024
Recommended The Monitor's View Ballots for kinder politics Mr. Hajjar recounts seeing armed men guarding an ATM and allowing access only to those who bribed them.
—Ghada Abdulfattah, The Christian Science Monitor, 3 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for bribe
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bribe.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to bribe
Dictionary Entries Near bribe
Cite this Entry
“Bribe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bribe. Accessed 15 Jul. 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share