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bribe

[brahyb]

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noun

money or any other valuable consideration given or promised with a view to corrupting the behavior of a person, especially in that person's performance as an athlete, public official, etc.: The motorist offered the arresting officer a bribe to let him go.

anything given or serving to persuade or induce: The children were given candy as a bribe to be good.

verb (used with object)

to give or promise a bribe to: They bribed the reporter to forget about what he had seen.

to influence or corrupt by a bribe: The judge was too honest to be bribed.

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Bribe is one of our favorite verbs.

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to flee; abscond:

to swindle, cheat, hoodwink, or hoax.

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verb (used without object)

to give a bribe; practice bribery.

Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English < Middle French: remnant of food given as alms, said to be < an expressive base *bri(m)b- denoting something small

Related forms

brib·a·ble, bribe·a·ble, adjective

brib·a·bil·i·ty, bribe·a·bil·i·ty, noun

brib·ee, noun

brib·er, noun

out·bribe, verb (used with object), -bribed, -brib·ing.

EXPAND

un·brib·a·ble, adjective

un·brib·a·b·ly, adverb

un·bribed, adjective

un·brib·ing, adjective

COLLAPSE

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To bribe

Example Sentences

Backstrom and three other defendants planned to bribe the judge hearing the fee dispute.

It learned that some subcontractors were trying to bribe their way onto the job site.

In their experience no one is likely to listen unless they are a relative, a friend, or amenable to a bribe.

EXPAND

Backstrom and three other defendants planned to bribe the judge hearing the fee dispute.

It learned that some subcontractors were trying to bribe their way onto the job site.

In their experience no one is likely to listen unless they are a relative, a friend, or amenable to a bribe.

These developers allegedly paid a bribe to local officials for use of the land.

Denial is all about people who want more money and are able to bribe politicians to get it.

If everyone refused to pay bribes then bribe demands would cease.

The amount of each bribe was punched out on a desktop calculator, so as to avoid any paper trail.

College presidents will abandon principle and fighting for justice if the bribe for their silence is large enough.

He later clarified that no minister had asked him for a bribe.

If an inspector caught her, she would give up the fish and a few dollars as a bribe.

Those who accept the government bribe are enriched and those who refuse will pay for the bribe.

Before she even glimpsed her baby, she said, a nurse whisked the infant away and an attendant demanded a bribe.

First, that there has been a bribe of a data gatherer by a college official.

Detectives suspect many more get through with a few kilos and a bribe.

We then tried to bribe her with treats, which also worked for a short while.

Silvester had pleaded guilty not to accepting a bribe but to mail fraud.

They want a ticket to a job interview, and college is simply the bribe that must be paid before they get their tickets.

The restrictions were also widely flouted by those who could afford a fine or a bribe to pay for extra children.

Hastings not guilty of obstructing justice and conspiring to solicit and accept a bribe.

Although a bribe occurs as part of a brief transaction, the process that leads up to it is often what makes the bribe possible.

The wealthy have always found it more economical to bribe bureaucrats than to pay taxes.

The furniture retailer said two executives had agreed to a plan by a contractor to pay a bribe to an electrical company official.

Pro: the points will provide the bribe many of them seem to need to work practice problems.

Research shows that this is also not considered so much a bribe as it is a tip.

They can offer politicians the soft bribe of lucrative employment in post-political life.

Manes in trying to extort a bribe from a cable television.

One sort is driven by private firms and individuals who bribe officials to turn a blind eye to the rules.

And people increasingly tell pollsters that they are fed up with having to bribe petty officials to get permits and licences.

Prospective candidates rack up big debts to bribe voters and political parties.

COLLAPSE

Collins

World English Dictionary

bribe (braɪb)

—vb
1.	to promise, offer, or give something, usually money, to (a person) to procure services or gain influence, esp illegally

—n
2.	a reward, such as money or favour, given or offered for this purpose
3.	any persuasion or lure
4.	a length of flawed or damaged cloth removed from the main piece

[C14: from Old French briber to beg, of obscure origin]

'bribable

—*adj*

'bribeable

—*adj*

'briber

—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

bribe

late 14c., "thing stolen," from O.Fr. bribe "bit, piece, hunk; morsel of bread given to beggars" (14c.), from briber, brimber "to beg," a general Romanic word (Gamillscheg marks it as Rotwelsch, i.e. "thieves' jargon"), of uncertain origin. Shift of meaning to "gift given to influence corruptly" is first

EXPAND

attested 1530s. As a verb, from late 14c. Related: Bribed; bribing.

COLLAPSE

Easton

Bible Dictionary

Bribe definition

None to be taken; "for the gift maketh open eyes blind, and perverteth the cause of the righteous" (Ex. 23:8, literally rendered).

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
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"A gift in secret averts anger; and a concealed bribe in the bosom, strong wrath."

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