ENGLISH
REFERENCE

bribes

n. countable
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈbɹaɪbz// UK //bɹˈaɪbz// bribes

n. money or gifts that you give to someone so they will do something dishonest for you. People often use these to get special favors from officials or to win business deals.

n. sums of money or other inducements offered or given to someone in a position of trust to influence their behavior. Often associated with corruption in legal or political contexts.


SIMPLE

The official was arrested for taking bribes from local builders.

CONTEXTUAL

The company faced a massive fine after investigators discovered they had paid bribes to secure the mining contract.

COMPLEX

While the small bribes paid at border crossings were common, the systemic corruption involving high-ranking ministers suggested a much deeper institutional failure.

Synonyms
Usage

Commonly used with the verbs 'take', 'accept', 'offer', or 'pay'.

Pitfall

he bribed to the officerhe bribed the officerWhen used as a verb, 'bribe' is transitive and does not take the preposition 'to' before the person being influenced.

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