suborn

[ suh-bawrn ]

See synonyms for: suborn suborned on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to bribe or induce (someone) unlawfully or secretly to perform some misdeed or to commit a crime The drug cartel suborned the local police department to turn a blind eye to their trafficking.
Law.
- to induce (a person, especially a witness) to give false testimony.
- to obtain (false testimony) from a witness.

Origin of suborn

First recorded in 1525–35; from Latin subornāre “to instigate secretly, prepare clandestinely,” originally, “to supply,” equivalent to sub-, preposition and prefix + ornāre “to equip,” from an assumed ordnāre, a derivative of the noun ordō (stem ordin- ) “line, row, rank, grade”; see origin at sub-, order

Other words from suborn

sub·or·na·tion [suhb-awr-ney-shuhn], /ˌsʌb ɔrˈneɪ ʃən/, noun
sub·or·na·tive [suh-bawr-nuh-tiv], /səˈbɔr nə tɪv/, adjective
sub·orn·er, noun
un·sub·orned, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use suborn in a sentence

This subornation of falsehood appears also to have been known to Mr. Hastings.
The Works of the Right Honourable Edmund Burke, Vol. XI. (of 12) | Edmund Burke
I had long cherished a reverence for him, which not even animosity and subornation on his part could utterly destroy.
Caleb Williams | William Godwin
The testimony of their own witnesses convicted them of subornation of perjury to destroy Smith.
Great Men and Famous Women. Vol. 5 of 8 | Various
He should be careful lest he incur the moral guilt of subornation of perjury, if not the legal offence.
An Essay on Professional Ethics | George Sharswood
Extradition Act 1873:- Kidnapping and false imprisonment; Perjury and subornation of perjury.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 1 | Various

British Dictionary definitions for suborn

suborn

/ (səˈbɔːn) /

verb(tr)

to bribe, incite, or instigate (a person) to commit a wrongful act
criminal law to induce (a witness) to commit perjury

Origin of suborn

C16: from Latin subornāre, from sub- secretly + ornāre to furnish

Derived forms of suborn

subornation (ˌsʌbɔːˈneɪʃən), noun
subornative (sʌˈbɔːnətɪv), adjective
suborner, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Browse