suborn

Meaning

1. To induce (someone) to commit an unlawful or malicious act, especially in a corrupt manner.
2. To induce (someone) to commit an unlawful or malicious act, especially in a corrupt manner.
3. To achieve (some result; specifically, perjury) in a corrupt manner.
4. To procure or provide (something) secretly and often in a dishonest manner.
5. To make use of (something), especially for corrupt or dishonest reasons.
6. (obsolete) To aid, assist, or support (something).
7. (obsolete) To furnish or provide (something).
8. (obsolete) To substitute (a thing) for something else, especially secretly and often in a dishonest manner.

Synonyms

bribe

coax

corrupt

cajole

get

have

helm

instigate

manage

pay off

put off

sop

buy off

kick back

grease one’s palm

abet

grease one’s palms

buy

🛍️

control

drive

Hyphenated as

sub‧orn

Pronounced as (IPA)

/səˈbɔːn/

Etymology

Cognate with French: suborner

Cognate with Catalan: subornar

Cognate with Italian: subornare

Cognate with Old Provençal: subornar

Cognate with Portuguese: subornar

Cognate with Spanish: subornar

In summary

PIE word
*upó
Borrowed from Anglo-Norman suburner, subhorner, and Middle French suborner, subourner (“to induce (someone) to commit a crime (specifically perjury) or wrongdoing”) (modern French suborner (“to suborn; to bribe”)), and from its etymon Latin subōrnāre, the present active infinitive of subōrnō (“to incite, instigate, suborn; to instruct one for a secret purpose; to adorn, dress; to equip, furnish, provide; to make one appear as (something)”), from sub- (prefix meaning ‘under’) + ōrnō (“to equip, furnish, provide; to adorn, decorate, ornament”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂er- (“to put together, fit; to fix; to slot”)).
cognates
* Catalan subornar
* Italian subornare
* Old Occitan subornar, sobornar
* Portuguese subornar
* Spanish subornar (obsolete), sobornar