What does "suborn" mean?
To induce (someone) to commit an unlawful or malicious act, especially in a corrupt manner.
Suborn
/səˈbɔːn/ verb
verb ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: To induce (someone) to commit an unlawful or malicious act, especially in a corrupt manner.
- Grammar: suborn is listed as verb.
- Nearest alternatives: approach, bribe, buy, buy off.
- Useful contrasts: deter, discourage, prevent.
- Usage evidence: Till thou to ſpit the venome of thy ſpite, / Subornedſt Cupid how he ſoone might ſlay me, / Abandoning his bowe and arrowes quite, / You laid his priuie complot to betray me; […]
How to use "suborn"
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- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
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Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "suborn" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "suborn" as the right word for your sentence.
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Compare nearby meanings
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Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "suborn" is acting as verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
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3. Confirm with context
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Final meaning check
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When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Verb
- 1 To induce (someone) to commit an unlawful or malicious act, especially in a corrupt manner. also, figuratively, transitive
"Till thou to ſpit the venome of thy ſpite, / Subornedſt Cupid how he ſoone might ſlay me, / Abandoning his bowe and arrowes quite, / You laid his priuie complot to betray me; […]"
- 2 induce to commit perjury or give false testimony wordnet
- 3 To induce (someone) to commit an unlawful or malicious act, especially in a corrupt manner.; To induce (someone, such as a witness) to commit perjury, for example by making a false accusation or giving false evidence. also, figuratively, specifically, transitive
"[Y]ou shall finde their tongues chayned to another mans trencher, and as it were, Knights of the Post, suborned to say, sweare and stare the uttermost they can, as those that passe not what they say, nor with what face they say it, so they say no truth."
- 4 procure (false testimony or perjury) wordnet
- 5 To achieve (some result; specifically, perjury) in a corrupt manner. transitive
"[U]pon ſingle Perjuries ſuborned by themſelves they condemned Men unheard, and ſold their Eſtates vvithout ſuffering them to ſpeak for themſelves— […]"
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 incite to commit a crime or an evil deed wordnet
- 7 To procure or provide (something) secretly and often in a dishonest manner. archaic, transitive
"In a golden bowl / She then suborn'd a potion, in her soul / Deform'd things thinking; for amidst the wine / She mix'd her man-transforming medicine; […]"
- 8 To make use of (something), especially for corrupt or dishonest reasons. archaic, transitive
"Nor is he onely content to ſuborne Divine Juſtice in his cenſure of vvhat is paſt, but he aſſumes the perſon of Chriſt himſelf to prognoſticate over us vvhat he vviſhes vvould come."
- 9 To aid, assist, or support (something). obsolete, transitive
"And fell much wood, that all night we may keep / Plenty of fires, even till the light bring forth the lovely morn; / And let their brightness glaze the skies, that night may not suborn / The Greeks' escape, […]"
- 10 To furnish or provide (something). obsolete, transitive
"And ſurely if the purpoſe be in good earneſt not to vvrite at leaſure that vvhich mẽ [men] may read at leaſure, but really to inſtruct and ſuborne Action and actiue life, theſe Georgickes of the mind concerning the huſbãdry & tillage thereof, are no leſſe vvorthy thẽ the heroical deſcriptiõs of vertue, duty, & felicity vvherfore the maine & primitiue diuiſion of Morall knovvledge ſeemeth to be into the Exemplar or Platforme of Good, and the Regiment or Culture of the mind; […]"
- 11 To substitute (a thing) for something else, especially secretly and often in a dishonest manner. obsolete, transitive
"I wiſh unto thee all ſuperabundant increaſe of the ſingular gifts of abſurditie and vaine glory: […] in ſupplanting and ſetting aſide the true children of the Engliſh, and ſuborning inkehorne changlings in their ſteade; […]"
Antonyms
Example
"Till thou to ſpit the venome of thy ſpite, / Subornedſt Cupid how he ſoone might ſlay me, / Abandoning his bowe and arrowes quite, / You laid his priuie complot to betray me; […]"
Common questions
What is a synonym for "suborn"?
Common synonyms include: approach, bribe, buy, buy off, corrupt, employ.
How do you use "suborn" in a sentence?
Till thou to ſpit the venome of thy ſpite, / Subornedſt Cupid how he ſoone might ſlay me, / Abandoning his bowe and arrowes quite, / You laid his priuie complot to betray me; […]
How do you pronounce "suborn"?
Pronounced /səˈbɔːn/.
Etymology
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