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bribery

[brahy-buh-ree] / ˈbraɪ bə ri /
NOUN
blackmail
Synonyms
STRONGEST
bribe extortion
STRONG
exaction milking payoff protection ransom tribute
WEAK
hush money slush fund
NOUN
corruption
Synonyms
STRONGEST
crime exploitation extortion fraud graft malfeasance nepotism
STRONG
crookedness demoralization jobbery misrepresentation payoff payola racket shadiness shuffle skimming squeeze unscrupulousness venality
WEAK
breach of trust bribing fiddling fraudulency on the take profiteering shady deal
Antonyms
WEAK
cleanliness cleanness decency goodness honesty honor kindness pureness purification purity sterility truthfulness wholesomeness
NOUN
payola
Synonyms
STRONG
graft payoff
NOUN
villainousness
Synonyms
STRONG
bestiality crime crookedness demoralization depravity exploitation extortion fraud graft immorality jobbery malfeasance misrepresentation nepotism payoff payola perversion racket shadiness shuffle skimming squeeze turpitude unscrupulousness venality vice villainy wickedness
WEAK
breach of trust bribing fiddling flagitiousness fraudulency on the take profiteering shady deal
Antonyms
STRONG
justice virtue

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Billionaire Adani met Trump Jr. while facing U.S. bribery charges.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 24, 2026

"Diezani Alison-Madueke was cleared of six charges of bribery at Southwark Crown Court on 17 June 2026, after a five-month trial," defence lawyer Jonathan Laidlaw said in a press release.

From Barron's • Jun. 17, 2026

Also cleared by the jury were Alison-Madueke's older brother Doye Agama, 69, an archbishop at a Pentecostal church in Manchester, who was acquitted of conspiracy to commit bribery.

From BBC • Jun. 17, 2026

Prosecutors said that Adani personally met with an Indian official on several occasions to advance the bribery scheme.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 16, 2026

There was a morality to the house, and Emma was the moral center, the bribery notwithstanding.

From "Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith" by Deborah Heiligman

Vocabulary lists containing bribery

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