bribe

From Old French briber (“go begging”).

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

• Audio (US)

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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.

   • Remy, this was a bribe! Our whole marriage has been nothing but a series of bribes! - Stuart Graff, Earthquake

• See Thesaurus:bribe

• bribeless
• bribeproof
• bribetaking

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, usually against his/her will, in exchange for some type of reward or relief from potential trouble.
   • 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

• ribbe

Imitative.

• IPA^(key): /bʁib/

bribe f (plural bribes)

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

• “bribe” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).