bribe

English

Etymology

From Old French briber (“go begging”).

Pronunciation

• enPR: brīb, IPA^(key): /braɪb/
• Rhymes: -aɪb

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Noun

bribe (plural bribes)

1. Something (usually money) given in exchange for influence or as an inducement to dishonesty.
   • Hobart

     Undue reward for anything against justice is a bribe.

2. That which seduces; seduction; allurement.
   • Akenside

     Not the bribes of sordid wealth can seduce to leave these everblooming sweets.

Synonyms

• See also Wikisaurus:bribe

Translations

inducement to dishonesty

• Albanian: please add this translation if you can
• Arabic: رشوة f (ríshwa), رشا f (rashaa)
• Armenian: կաշառք (kašaṙkʿ)
• Bulgarian: подкуп (bg) m (podkup), рушвет (bg) m (rušvet)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 賄賂, 贿赂 (zh) (huìlù), 行賄 (zh), 行贿 (zh) (xínghuì)

• Czech: úplatek m
• Dutch: steekpenning (nl), smeergeld (nl) n
• Esperanto: please add this translation if you can
• Estonian: pistis, altkäemaks
• Finnish: lahjus (fi)
• French: pot-de-vin (fr) m
• Georgian: ქრთამი (k’rt’ami)
• German: Bestechungsgeld n, Schmiergeld (de) n
• Greek: δωροδοκία (el) f (dorodokía) (giving), δωροληψία (el) f (dorolipsía) (taking)
• Hebrew: שוחד m (shokhad)
• Hindi: please add this translation if you can
• Hungarian: megvesztegetés (hu)
• Icelandic: múta f
• Indonesian: suap (id), sogokan (id)
• Italian: tangente (it) f

• Japanese: 賄賂 (ja) (わいろ, wairo)
• Korean: 뇌물 (ko) (noemul)
• Kurdish:

  Sorani: به‌رتیل

• Lao: ສິນບົນ
• Latvian: kukulis m
• Maori: moni whakapati
• Persian: رشوه (fa)
• Polish: łapówka (pl) f
• Portuguese: suborno (pt) m, propina (pt) f
• Romanian: please add this translation if you can
• Russian: взятка (ru) f (vzjátka), подкуп (ru) m (pódkup)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: ми́то n

  Roman: míto n

• Spanish: soborno (es) m, (colloquial) coima (es) f (Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay), matraca (es) f (Venezuela), mordida (es) f (Mexico), cohecho (es), alfadía f
• Swahili: hongo (sw)
• Swedish: muta (sv) c, dusör (sv)
• Telugu: లంచము (te) (lamcamu)
• Thai: สินบน (sĭnbon)
• Turkish: rüşvet (tr)

Verb

bribe (third-person singular simple present bribes, present participle bribing, simple past and past participle bribed)

1. (transitive) To give a bribe to.
   • F. W. Robertson

     Neither is he worthy who bribes a man to vote against his conscience.

2. (transitive) To gain by a bribe; to induce as by a bribe.

   to bribe somebody's compliance

Translations

to give a bribe

• Armenian: կաշառել (kašaṙel)
• Bulgarian: подкупвам (bg) (podkupvam)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 賄賂, 贿赂 (zh) (huìlù), 行賄 (zh), 行贿 (zh) (xínghuì)

• Czech: uplatit, podplatit
• Danish: bestikke
• Dutch: omkopen (nl)
• Esperanto: korupti
• Finnish: lahjoa (fi)
• French: verser (fr) un pot-de-vin (fr), soudoyer (fr), corrompre (fr)
• Georgian: ქრთამის მიცემა (k’rt’amis mic’ema)
• German: bestechen (de), schmieren (de), kaufen (de) (colloquially)
• Greek: δωροδοκώ (el) (dorodokó)
• Hebrew: לשחד (le'shakhed)
• Icelandic: múta
• Indonesian: menyuap (id), menyogok (id)

• Italian: offrire (it) una tangente (it)
• Jèrriais: corrompre, séduithe, graîssi la patte
• Latvian: kukuļot
• Maori: whakapati
• Persian: رشوه دادن
• Polish: dawać łapówkę
• Portuguese: subornar (pt)
• Russian: давать взятку (davát’ vzjátku), подкупать (ru) (podkupát’)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: митити (mititi), подмитити (podmititi), поткупити (potkupiti), потплатити (potplatiti)

  Roman: mítiti, podmititi, potkúpiti, potplátiti

• Spanish: sobornar (es), cohechar
• Swahili: hongo (sw), rushwa (sw), mlungula (sw), chai (sw)
• Swedish: muta (sv)
• Turkish: rüşvet vermek (tr)

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French

Etymology

Imitative.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bʁib/

Noun

bribe f (plural bribes)

1. (obsolete) crumb (of bread)
2. scrap, bit