bribe
English edit
Etymology edit
From Old French briber (“go begging”).
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
bribe (plural bribes)
- Something (usually money) given in exchange for influence or as an inducement to breaking the law.
- c. 1613-1625, Henry Hobart, Yardly v. Ellill
- Undue reward for anything against justice is a bribe.
- c. 1613-1625, Henry Hobart, Yardly v. Ellill
- That which seduces; seduction; allurement.
- 1744, Mark Akenside, The Pleasures of the Imagination:
- Not the bribes of sordid wealth can seduce to leave these everblooming sweets.
- 1974, George Fox, Mario Puzo, Earthquake:
- Remy, this was a bribe! Our whole marriage has been nothing but a series of bribes!
Synonyms edit
- See Thesaurus:bribe
Derived terms edit
Translations edit
inducement to a breaking of the rules
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Verb edit
bribe (third-person singular simple present bribes, present participle bribing, simple past and past participle bribed)
- (transitive) To give a bribe to; specifically, to ask a person to do something against his/her 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.
- October 23, 1848, Frederick William Robertson, an address delivered at the Opening of The Working Men's Institute
- Neither is he worthy who bribes a man to vote against his conscience.
- (transitive) To gain by a bribe; to induce as by a bribe.
- to bribe somebody's compliance
Derived terms edit
Translations edit
to give a bribe
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Anagrams edit
French edit
Etymology edit
Imitative. (Can this(+) etymology be sourced?)
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
bribe f (plural bribes)
Further reading edit
- “bribe”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.