bribe
/bɹaɪb/noun, verb
bribe is spelled B-R-I-B-E: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears 3.2 times per million words in written English, the 14,928th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, bribe means “Something (usually money) given in exchange for influence or as an inducement to breaking the law” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of bribe is bribes.
How many letters and syllables are in bribe?
| Letters | 5: B-R-I-B-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 3.2 times per million words; the 14,928th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is bribe?
Bribe appears 3.2 times per million words in written English, the 14,928th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce bribe?
- /bɹaɪb/
Bribe has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-bribe.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of bribe
- bribes plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- bribing participle, present
- bribed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does bribe mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Something (usually money) given in exchange for influence or as an inducement to breaking the law.
- 2
The act of offering or paying such a payment: an act of bribery.
- 3
That which seduces; seduction; allurement.
verb
- 1
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.
- 2
To gain by a bribe; to induce as by a bribe.
to bribe somebody's compliance
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Bribe in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | pot-de-vin , verser un pot-de-vin, soudoyer, corrompre |
| German | Bestechungsgeld, Schmiergeld , bestechen, schmieren, kaufen |
| Portuguese | suborno, propina , subornar |
| Spanish | soborno, coima, mordida, alfadía, cañonazo, untada |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does bribe come from?
From Middle English bribe, from Old French briber (“go begging”), from the noun bribe (“a gift”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).