bribe
/bɹaɪb/ noun, verb
Forms bribes bribing bribed
- noun Something (usually money) given in exchange for influence or as an inducement to breaking the law.
- noun The act of offering or paying such a payment: an act of bribery.
- noun That which seduces; seduction; allurement.
- verb (transitive) To give a bribe to; specifically, to ask a person to do something against their original will, in exchange for some type of reward or relief from potential trouble. “She was accused of trying to bribe the jury into making false statements.”
- verb (transitive) To gain by a bribe; to induce as by a bribe. “to bribe somebody's compliance”
Synonyms
backhander bung payoff coffee money cold drink money dash douceur inducement kopi money pay-off payola subornation sweetener tea money corrupt buy grease one's palms
Etymology
From Middle English bribe, from Old French briber (“go begging”), from the noun bribe (“a gift”).
Webster’s 1913
- noun A gift begged; a present. [Obs.] Chaucer.
- noun 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.
- verb To rob or steal. [Obs.] Chaucer.
- verb 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.
Etymology [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.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “bribe”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details