bribes 1 of 2

noun

plural of bribe
as in incentives
something given or promised in order to improperly influence a person's conduct or decision that judge refused a huge bribe to dismiss the charges against the wealthy defendant

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bribes

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of bribe
as in buys
to influence someone with a bribe meat inspectors were bribed, and the contaminated beef was sold to the public

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bribes
Noun
Ulrich, 41, is accused of accepting more than $150,000 in bribes in exchange for political favors while serving as a City Council member, senior adviser to Mayor Eric Adams and later as buildings commissioner. — Alice Gainer, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026 The state attorney general was accused of accepting bribes and abusing his office to help a political donor whom the FBI was investigating. — David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 13 Oct. 2026 Prosecutors accused Smith and at least 26 other named defendants of wagering millions of dollars and paying hundreds of thousands of dollars to players in bribes. — ABC News, 13 Oct. 2026 Avichai Mandelblit indicted the prime minister seven years ago on fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes. — Arkansas Online, 12 Oct. 2026 The boxes allegedly cost substantially less to produce, allowing the conspirators to use the inflated prices to finance bribes and divert government funds. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 12 Oct. 2026 Some of the contracts appear to have been padded to pay bribes to Diamantis. — Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 3 Oct. 2026 These scandals, which included massive bribes and kickbacks on projects across the continent, contributed to a political crisis that, in 2016, ended Dilma Rousseff’s presidency and, in 2018, sent Lula to prison. — Matias Spektor, Foreign Affairs, 2 Oct. 2026 Many choose to make use of a corrupt brokerage system, where people with connections in the foreign ministry and other regime appendages facilitate large bribes for new, and sometimes fake, documentation. — Andrew Nachemson, The Dial, 22 Sep. 2026
Verb
In one of the film’s most madcap and darkly comedic moments, Linda bribes her daughter with the promise of a pet hamster — who turns out to be a biter, desperate to escape its box. — Rachel Brodsky, Rolling Stone, 8 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bribes
  1. incentives
  2. buys
  3. fixes
  4. lures
  5. seduces
  6. poisons
  7. corrupts
  8. entices
Noun
  • Automakers and their suppliers need incentives to invest in robotics and advanced equipment.
    — Rick Lazio, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Lula and Bolsonaro discussed the value of the minimum wage, public security policies, Brazil's free healthcare system initiatives and incentives for agribusiness.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of incentives
Verb
  • Pair a winning culture of a respected NBA franchise with a top five talent like Giannis Antetokounmpo and blockbuster is supposed to happen, if the main characters stay healthy, everyone buys in, and the sports Gods are kind.
    — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Blacksmith instead buys its own machines, tens of thousands of them, according to Jayaprakash, and installs them in data centers around the world.
    — Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of buys
Noun
  • The discovery prompted urgent government warnings and a rush to install security fixes after details of the vulnerabilities leaked ahead of schedule.
    — Alexa LoMonaco,Matthew J. Belvedere,Jeff Marks, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026
  • As those findings multiply, so will the number of dangerous secrets waiting for fixes.
    — Harry Booth, Time, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of fixes
Verb
  • In the exceedingly bleak ending to the book, Bela realizes that the demon has killed and styled itself after her Grandma Ruth, who lures Russell and Ursula to their death.
    — William Earl, Variety, 9 Oct. 2026
  • The Vegetarian by Han Kang, 208 Pages This haunting novel lures readers when a woman’s sudden decision to stop eating meat triggers a destructive crisis in her family.
    — Arabella Hau, Southern Living, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of lures
Verb
  • Artificial plays like a modern-day parable in which the trickster god seduces the innocent.
    — E. Alex Jung, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Diaz centers music as the emotional vehicle that provides a philosophical structure for the character tropes and in turn psychologically seduces the audience to internalize certain ideas of social dynamics.
    — Damaly Gonzalez, ARTnews.com, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of seduces
Verb
  • Set in 2029 in a future where no mutants have been born in 25 years, Jackman plays an older, grizzlier Wolverine, one whose healing factor is fading as his adamantium skeleton slowly poisons him.
    — Will Harris, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Any infection can progress to a systemic disease that poisons the blood and body.
    — RJ Mackenzie, Popular Science, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of poisons
Verb
  • Forgetting his bond with the land, Mariano awakens the Ch’iqmi, a dark force that corrupts his people.
    — Kevin Giraud, Variety, 25 June 2026
  • One nanny will try to get to the bottom of it before all the partying, power and privilege corrupts her.
    — Denise Petski, Deadline, 21 Apr. 2026
Definition of corrupts
Verb
  • Turkey’s growing hair transplant and restoration industry in particular entices people with easy-to-digest all-inclusive packages advertised on their websites, online placements, and social media.
    — Elizabeth Gulino, Allure, 23 Sep. 2026
  • The high-concept thriller stars Valeria Bruni Tedeschi as a demonic character called The Stranger, who entices a young mother played by Jasmine Trinca into forging a Faustian pact.
    — Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of entices

Browse Nearby Words

bribers
bribes
bribing
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Cite this Entry

“Bribes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bribes. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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