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
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
Michael Sinkewicz,
FOXNews.com,
27 June 2026
For every official who accepts a bribe, there is someone who paid it.
—
Kevin Rennie,
Hartford Courant,
27 June 2026
Steve Henson,
Los Angeles Times,
29 June 2026
Morgan and her Judgment Day cronies tried to bribe Danhausen to put curses on their opponents.
—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
28 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for bribe
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Noun
Prosecutors allege Eidleh, along with other members of the scheme, solicited and received bribes and kickbacks from individuals and companies seeking approval to operate fraudulent Federal Child Nutrition Program sites.
—
Michael Sinkewicz,
FOXNews.com,
27 June 2026
For every official who accepts a bribe, there is someone who paid it.
—
Kevin Rennie,
Hartford Courant,
27 June 2026
Verb
They are charged with wire fraud conspiracy, bribery in sporting contests and money laundering conspiracy for allegedly bribing Beasley to manipulate his performance.
—
Steve Henson,
Los Angeles Times,
29 June 2026
Morgan and her Judgment Day cronies tried to bribe Danhausen to put curses on their opponents.
—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
28 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for bribe
Cite this Entry
“Bribe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bribe. Accessed 3 Jul. 2026.
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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