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bribe - 9 dictionary results
bribe
[brahyb] 
noun, verb, bribed, brib⋅ing.–noun
| 1. | money or any other valuable consideration given or promised with a view to corrupting the behavior of a person, esp. in that person's performance as an athlete, public official, etc.: The motorist offered the arresting officer a bribe to let him go. |
| 2. | anything given or serving to persuade or induce: The children were given candy as a bribe to be good. |
–verb (used with object)
| 3. | to give or promise a bribe to: They bribed the reporter to forget about what he had seen. |
| 4. | to influence or corrupt by a bribe: The judge was too honest to be bribed. |
–verb (used without object)
| 5. | to give a bribe; practice bribery. |
Origin:
1350–1400; ME < MF: remnant of food given as alms, said to be < an expressive base *bri(m)b- denoting something small
1350–1400; ME < MF: 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
briber, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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|
Link To bribe
| bribe (brīb) n.
v. tr. To give, offer, or promise a bribe to. v. intr. To give, offer, or promise bribes. [Middle English, from Old French, piece of bread given as alms.] brib'a·ble adj., brib'er n. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Bribe
Bribe\, n. [F. bribe a lump of bread, scraps, leavings of meals (that are generally given to a beggar), LL. briba scrap of bread; cf. OF. briber, brifer, to eat gluttonously, to beg, and OHG. bilibi food.]1. A gift begged; a present. [Obs.] --Chaucer. 2. A price, reward, gift, or favor bestowed or promised with a view to prevent the judgment or corrupt the conduct of a judge, witness, voter, or other person in a position of trust. Undue reward for anything against justice is a bribe. --Hobart. 3. That which seduces; seduction; allurement. Not the bribes of sordid wealth can seduce to leave these ever?blooming sweets. --Akenside.Bribe
Bribe\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bribed; p. pr. & vb. n. Bribing.]1. To rob or steal. [Obs.] --Chaucer. 2. To give or promise a reward or consideration to (a judge, juror, legislator, voter, or other person in a position of trust) with a view to prevent the judgment or corrupt the conduct; to induce or influence by a bribe; to give a bribe to. Neither is he worthy who bribes a man to vote against his conscience. --F. W. Robertson. 3. To gain by a bribe; of induce as by a bribe.Bribe
Bribe\, v. i. 1. To commit robbery or theft. [Obs.] 2. To give a bribe to a person; to pervert the judgment or corrupt the action of a person in a position of trust, by some gift or promise. An attempt to bribe, though unsuccessful, has been holden to be criminal, and the offender may be indicted. --Bouvier. The bard may supplicate, but cannot bribe. --Goldsmith.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : bribe
Spanish:
soborno,
German:
das Bestechungsgeld,
Japanese:
わいろ
bribe (n.)
1386, "thing stolen," from O.Fr. "morsel of bread given to beggars," from briber "to beg," a general Romantic word, of uncertain origin. Shift of meaning to "gift given to influence corruptly" is first attested 1535.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Main Entry: bribe
Function: noun
: a benefit (as money) given, promised, or offered in order to influence the judgment or conduct of a person in a position of trust (as an official or witness) —compare KICKBACK
Main Entry: bribe
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Forms: bribed; brib·ing
: to influence (a person) by giving a bribe
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Bribe
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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