as in seducing
to influence someone with a bribe
meat inspectors were bribed, and the contaminated beef was sold to the public
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Recent Examples of bribing
In 2017, Lee was convicted of bribing then-president Park Geun-hye with almost $8 million to gain her support for a merger.
—
Natasha O'Neill, Vanity Fair, 16 Apr. 2026
And after CLEAResult fired Darlington in 2017, the brothers began bribing CLEAResult employee Peter Marra — sending him cash and gift cards for special favors like getting heads-ups on inspections and audits.
—Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 4 Apr. 2026
Asha was bribing people to use a scale!
—Rebecca Firkser, Bon Appetit Magazine, 2 Apr. 2026
Trump in February 2025 issued an executive order pausing new investigations under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which prohibits citizens and companies from bribing foreign entities to advance their business interests.
—Ken B. Morales, ProPublica, 31 Mar. 2026
Saudi Arabia may still be able to get its tankers through the Red Sea by bribing the Houthis, Axios reports.
—Jim Edwards, Fortune, 30 Mar. 2026
Two executives of a large utility, FirstEnergy, are now on trial for allegedly bribing Randazzo, who died by suicide after his own indictment.
—Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2026
Smartmatic's parent company was charged in a Florida federal court in October with conspiring to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act by bribing a Philippine government official to get business, and with conspiring to launder money.
—Aysha Bagchi, USA Today, 10 Mar. 2026
John Herzog, a contractor for an unnamed wine supplier, pleaded guilty last year to bribing Briones and buyers from other retail chains with items such as a $2,000 exercise bike.
—Aldo Toledo, San Francisco Chronicle, 9 Mar. 2026
Natasha O'Neill, Vanity Fair, 16 Apr. 2026
And after CLEAResult fired Darlington in 2017, the brothers began bribing CLEAResult employee Peter Marra — sending him cash and gift cards for special favors like getting heads-ups on inspections and audits.
—Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 4 Apr. 2026
Asha was bribing people to use a scale!
—Rebecca Firkser, Bon Appetit Magazine, 2 Apr. 2026
Trump in February 2025 issued an executive order pausing new investigations under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which prohibits citizens and companies from bribing foreign entities to advance their business interests.
—Ken B. Morales, ProPublica, 31 Mar. 2026
Saudi Arabia may still be able to get its tankers through the Red Sea by bribing the Houthis, Axios reports.
—Jim Edwards, Fortune, 30 Mar. 2026
Two executives of a large utility, FirstEnergy, are now on trial for allegedly bribing Randazzo, who died by suicide after his own indictment.
—Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2026
Smartmatic's parent company was charged in a Florida federal court in October with conspiring to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act by bribing a Philippine government official to get business, and with conspiring to launder money.
—Aysha Bagchi, USA Today, 10 Mar. 2026
John Herzog, a contractor for an unnamed wine supplier, pleaded guilty last year to bribing Briones and buyers from other retail chains with items such as a $2,000 exercise bike.
—Aldo Toledo, San Francisco Chronicle, 9 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bribing
Verb
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Nate plays his older neighbors like a fiddle, seducing them with his beauty, money, and youth.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
20 Apr. 2026
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On the left, he’s heralded as the only voice capable of seducing young men disaffected by party politics.—
Abigail Sylvor Greenberg,
Vanity Fair,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Big East has steadied its membership, since the conference’s revival, by adding Butler, Creighton and Xavier, luring UConn back to its rightful home, winning four men’s basketball national championships, four women’s hoops titles and now operating out of the Empire State Building.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
21 Apr. 2026
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But Mizrachi sees potential for Pensacola in some of the same forces that are luring Jews to Boca and Aventure — including unhappiness among New Yorkers with the city’s new mayor, Zohran Mamdani.—
Larry Luxner,
Sun Sentinel,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Many online comments said higher prices would not deter them from buying condoms to protect against pregnancy.—
Sean Nevin,
NBC news,
24 Apr. 2026
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Institutional investors have been criticized for driving up home prices, but there is little evidence that their presence is impacting the rising costs of buying a home.—
Nathaniel Meyersohn,
CNN Money,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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My hero Carol Loomis provided a great service in persuading her pal to share what become justly honored as the Buffett Indicator with all of us.—
Shawn Tully,
Fortune,
19 Apr. 2026
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Flock has become increasingly controversial, with communities across the country persuading their local governments to cancel their contracts, though the number is still dwarfed by how many cities renew their agreements with Flock every year.—
Kevin Collier,
NBC news,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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An early discussion about social contracts comes down to us in Plato’s dialogue Crito in which Socrates, condemned to death for allegedly corrupting the youth, refused an offer to escape from prison.—
George G. Szpiro,
Big Think,
9 Apr. 2026
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Meanwhile, the Pima County Sheriff Office investigating Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance is facing troubles of its own, as a former sheriff has accused current leadership of ‘corrupting’ the crime scene, and a deputy has been arrested and fired on a kidnapping charge.—
Giulia Carbonaro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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His frame and traits are enticing.—
Alec Lewis,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
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In Middleboro he is charged with one count of witness intimidation and enticing a child under 16.—
Flint McColgan,
Boston Herald,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Though signs of its impending closure were all around this past weekend, the New Black Wall Street Market was having one last hurrah.—
Zachary Hansen,
AJC.com,
30 Apr. 2026
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Prosecutors say Maduro and Rodriguez authorized a series of payments totaling $20 million under terms of the PDV USA contract before having a falling out with Rivera’s group by the end of 2017.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The young woman who sojourned to Oberlin College, where she was wrongfully accused of poisoning her classmates and beaten half to death, who raised her hands in defense of herself, then went on to grip clay and rock and chisel to re-create visions of justice.—
Tyehimba Jess,
ARTnews.com,
17 Apr. 2026
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Protesters, however, say that HERC, which neighbors Target Field near the North Loop neighborhood, is responsible for essentially poisoning people who live nearby.—
Conor Wight,
CBS News,
10 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bribing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bribing. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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