bribe

From Middle English bribe, from Old French briber (“go begging”), from the noun bribe (“a gift”).

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

• Audio (US):

  (file)

bribe (plural bribes)

1. Something (usually money) given in exchange for influence or as an inducement to breaking the law.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:bribe

   • c. 1613-1625, Henry Hobart, Yardly v. Ellill

     Undue reward for anything against justice is a bribe.

   • 2024 June 17, @InternetHippo, Twitter‎, archived from the original on 29 June 2024:

     The bribes I took did not influence me to become evil. I was evil from the beginning and the bribes were merely a bonus

2. That which seduces; seduction; allurement.
   • 1744, Mark Akenside, The Pleasures of the Imagination:

     Not the bribes of sordid wealth can seduce to leave these everblooming sweets.

   • 1974, George Fox, Mario Puzo, Earthquake:

     Remy, this was a bribe! Our whole marriage has been nothing but a series of bribes!

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 against their original will, in exchange for some type of reward or relief from potential trouble.

   She was accused of trying to bribe the jury into making false statements.

   • October 23, 1848, Frederick William Robertson, an address delivered at the Opening of The Working Men's Institute

     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. (Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?)

• IPA^(key): /bʁib/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Audio (Canada):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ib

bribe f (plural bribes)

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

• “bribe”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé , 2012.