Home › Words › B › bribebribe/bɹaɪb/bribe means something (usually money) given in exchange for influence or as an inducement to breaking the law.bribe is pronounced /bɹaɪb/.EtymologyFrom Middle English bribe, from Old French briber (“go begging”), from the noun bribe (“a gift”).nounSomething (usually money) given in exchange for influence or as an inducement to breaking the law.e.g.“c. 1613-1625, Henry Hobart, Yardly v. Ellill Undue reward for anything against justice is a bribe.”The act of offering or paying such a payment: an act of bribery.That which seduces; seduction; allurement.e.g.“Not the bribes of sordid wealth can seduce to leave these everblooming sweets.” — 1744, Mark Akenside, The Pleasures of the Imagination:verbTo give a bribe to; specifically, to ask a person to do something against their original will, in exchange for some type of reward or relief from potential trouble.e.g.“She was accused of trying to bribe the jury into making false statements.”To gain by a bribe; to induce as by a bribe.e.g.“to bribe somebody's compliance”Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).Words closest in meaningBy meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.bribing 81% match — Bribery. vs bribe →bribery 79% match — The act of giving an illegal payment (a bribe) to a person in an official position as a means of influencing their decisions. vs bribe →bribegiving 75% match — The giving of bribes. vs bribe →briber 73% match — A person who bribes. vs bribe →bribetaking 69% match — The acceptance of bribes. vs bribe →bribegiver 68% match — A person who gives bribes. vs bribe →bribeworthy 67% match — Worthy of being bribed. vs bribe →bribee 67% match — One who takes a bribe. vs bribe →