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bribe definition

bribe (brīb)

noun

  1. anything, esp. money, given or promised to induce a person to do something illegal or wrong
  2. anything given or promised to induce a person to do something against his or her wishes

Etymology: ME < OFr, morsel of bread given to beggars < briber, to beg

transitive verb bribed, bribing brib′·ing

  1. to offer or give a bribe to
  2. to get or influence by bribing

intransitive verb

to give a bribe or bribes

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:

business bribe definition - business

law bribe definition - legal

bribe Synonyms

bribe

n.

graft, fee, reward, hush money, sop, lure, gift, remuneration, corrupt money, tribute, perquisite, bait, inducement, tip, blackmail, price, gratuity, lagniappe, protection*, kickback*, payoff*, payola*, plugola*, boodle*.


bribe

v.

corrupt, pay off, buy, get at, get to, influence by a gift, pervert, reward, tip, give a bribe, give a sop to, give a price to, approach, lure, entice, tempt, influence, induce, seduce with money, suborn, buy off*, butter*, grease one's palm*, cross one's palm*, salve*, soap*, square*, fix*, take care of*.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

bribe Usage Examples

Object

  • janitor: He was obliged to bribe the janitor, too, because the laws of the house permitted neither animals nor babies within its precincts.

Converse of object

  • accept: From whose hand have I accepted a bribe to make me shut my eyes?

Adjective modifier

  • alleged: The timing of the alleged bribe to Mr Mills is thus a subject of great debate.

Modifies a noun

  • row: Continue reading " The Observer: " Olympic bribes row forces London into £ 15m U-turn " - will anyone resign?

Noun used with modifier

  • election: And that on top of Gordon Brown withdrawing the council tax subsidy he introduced as an election bribe last year.
bribe usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

bribe quotes

Too poor for a bribe, and too proud to importune, He had not the method of making a fortune.

-Gray,Thomas

The man who offers a bribe gives awaya little of his own importance; the bribe once accepted, he becomes the inferior, like a man who has just paid for a woman.

-Greene, (Henry) Graham

Marriage is a bribe to make a housekeeper think she's a householder.

-Wilder,Thornton Niven

bribe quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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MLA Style

"bribe." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/bribe>

APA Style

bribe. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/bribe

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