bribery

noun

brib·​ery ˈbrī-b(ə-)rē How to pronounce bribery (audio)
plural briberies
: the act or practice of giving or taking a bribe

Examples of bribery in a Sentence

They were arrested on charges of bribery.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Lumumba faces five charges, including one count of federal program bribery and another count of money laundering. Bracey Harris, NBC News, 8 Nov. 2024 Massive, inflationary government spending, especially spending that smacks of bribery — to buy votes with free stuff — simply does not sit well with most Americans. Richard Stacy, The Denver Post, 7 Nov. 2024 Francis was arrested in late 2013 and pleaded guilty in 2015 to charges of bribery, conspiracy to commit bribery and conspiracy to defraud the United States. Alex Riggins, The Mercury News, 6 Nov. 2024 The state also has a high-profile Senate race to determine who will take over Sen. Bob Menendez's seat after the Democratic lawmaker resigned following a conviction on federal bribery charges. Abc News, ABC News, 4 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for bribery 

Word History

First Known Use

1560, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bribery was in 1560

Dictionary Entries Near bribery

Cite this Entry

“Bribery.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bribery. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

bribery

noun
brib·​ery ˈbrī-b(ə-)rē How to pronounce bribery (audio)
plural briberies
: the act or practice of bribing

Legal Definition

bribery

noun
brib·​ery
plural briberies
: the crime of giving or taking a bribe

More from Merriam-Webster on bribery

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!