bribe
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.money or a gift given to someone to make them do something dishonest or illegal.
n.a sum of money or other inducement offered or given to a person in a position of trust to influence their behaviour or decisions.
Simple“The official was arrested for accepting a bribe from the construction company.”
In context“The investigation revealed that the contractor had offered a substantial bribe to the planning committee in exchange for expedited approval of the project.”
UsageCommonly used with the verbs 'offer', 'give', 'take', or 'accept'.
Synonyms - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to give someone money or a gift so they will do what you want, even if it is wrong.
v.to persuade someone to act in one's favour, typically illegally or dishonestly, by a gift of money or other inducement.
Simple“They tried to bribe the guard to let them into the building after hours.”
In context“The corporation was accused of attempting to bribe foreign officials to secure lucrative mining contracts in the region.”
UsageThis is a transitive verb that takes the person being influenced as the direct object.
- 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to offer someone a small treat or reward to make them do something they do not want to do.
v.to use a minor incentive to persuade someone—often a child—to perform a task or behave in a certain way.
Simple“I had to bribe my son with an ice cream to get him to finish his homework.”
In context“The parents joked that they had to bribe their toddler with extra screen time just to get through the long flight without a tantrum.”
Teacher's tipWhile the primary sense is serious and legal, this informal use is very common in family or social contexts to describe harmless persuasion.
“The bribes ran into millions of dollars, it said, with hundreds of centres believed to employ about 60,000 people across the country.”
From Middle English bribe, from Old French briber (“go begging”), from the noun bribe (“a gift”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.