bribery

[brahy-buh-ree]

noun

plural

briberies 

1. the act or practice of giving or accepting a bribe.

   Bribery of a public official is a felony.

ˈbribery

/ ˈbraɪbərɪ /

noun

1. the process of giving or taking bribes

Word History and Origins

Origin of bribery¹

1350–1400; Middle English briberie theft < Middle French: begging. See bribe, -ery

Related Words

• crime 
• exploitation 
• extortion 
• fraud 
• graft 
• malfeasance 
• nepotism 

When To Use

What does bribery mean?

Bribery is the act of giving money (or something else of value) to someone to get them to do something you want them to do, especially something they’re not supposed to do.In other words, bribery is the act of bribing someone—offering them a bribe.In most cases, this refers to the often illegal act of offering money to people in official positions, like politicians, government officials, or sports referees, in order to get them to change an outcome to be more favorable to the person offering the bribe. For example, a businessperson might bribe a senator to vote a certain way, which is of course illegal.Bribery can also refer to the practice of offering someone an incentive to do something, especially a child, as in I tried offering the kids TV time as a reward for cleaning up their room, but apparently bribery doesn’t work because they didn’t do it. Bribery can also refer to the exchange or acceptance of a bribe, but it most commonly refers to the act of offering it.Example: The video clearly shows the lobbyist presenting the senator a briefcase full of money and asking for a favorable vote—it’s an open-and-shut case of bribery.