bribe

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English

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Etymology

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From Middle English bribe, from Old French briber (go begging), from the noun bribe (a gift).

Pronunciation

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  • enPR: brīb, IPA(key): /bɹaɪb/
  • Rhymes: -aɪb
  • Audio (US):(file)

Noun

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bribe (plural bribes)

  1. Something (usually money) given in exchange for influence or as an inducement to breaking the law.
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:bribe
    • c. 1613-1625, Henry Hobart, Yardly v. Ellill
      Undue reward for anything against justice is a bribe.
    • 2024 June 17, @InternetHippo, Twitter[1], archived from the original on 29 June 2024:
      The bribes I took did not influence me to become evil. I was evil from the beginning and the bribes were merely a bonus
  2. That which seduces; seduction; allurement.

Derived terms

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Translations

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Verb

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

  1. (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.
  2. (transitive) To gain by a bribe; to induce as by a bribe.
    to bribe somebody's compliance

Derived terms

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Translations

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Anagrams

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French

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Etymology

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Imitative. (Can this(+) etymology be sourced?)

Pronunciation

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Noun

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bribe f (plural bribes)

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

Further reading

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