bribe
Use Bribe in a sentence
noun
1.
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.
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; Middle English < Middle French: remnant of food given as alms, said to be < an expressive base *bri(m)b- denoting something small
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), out·bribed, out·brib·ing.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To bribe
00:10
Bribe
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is bowdlerise. Does it mean:
| to expurgate (a written work) by removing or modifying passages considered vulgar or objectionable. |
| to steal or take dishonestly (money, esp. public funds, or property entrusted to one's care); embezzle. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
bribe (braɪb) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —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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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
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
attested 1530s. As a verb, from late 14c. Related: Bribed; bribing.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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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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Example sentences
Denial is all about people who want more money and are able to bribe politicians to get it.
Silvester had pleaded guilty not to accepting a bribe but to mail fraud.
It learned that some subcontractors were trying to bribe their way onto the job site.
And people increasingly tell pollsters that they are fed up with having to bribe petty officials to get permits and licences.
Nearby Words
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