SUBORN

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does suborn mean? 

• SUBORN (verb)
  The verb SUBORN has 3 senses:

1. incite to commit a crime or an evil deed

2. procure (false testimony or perjury)

3. induce to commit perjury or give false testimony

  Familiarity information: SUBORN used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SUBORN (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they suborn    ... he / she / it suborns   
Past simple: suborned   
Past participle: suborned   
-ing form: suborning   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Incite to commit a crime or an evil deed

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Context example:

He suborned his butler to cover up the murder of his wife

Hypernyms (to "suborn" is one way to...):

corrupt; debase; debauch; demoralise; demoralize; deprave; misdirect; pervert; profane; subvert; vitiate (corrupt morally or by intemperance or sensuality)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody

Derivation:

subornation (underhandedly or improperly inducing someone to do something improper or unlawful)

suborner (someone who pays (or otherwise incites) you to commit a wrongful act)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Procure (false testimony or perjury)

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Hypernyms (to "suborn" is one way to...):

procure; secure (get by special effort)

Verb group:

suborn (induce to commit perjury or give false testimony)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

subornation (perjured testimony that someone was persuaded to give)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Induce to commit perjury or give false testimony

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Context example:

The President tried to suborn false witnesses

Hypernyms (to "suborn" is one way to...):

cause; get; have; induce; make; stimulate (cause to do; cause to act in a specified manner)

Cause:

perjure (knowingly tell an untruth in a legal court and render oneself guilty of perjury)

Verb group:

suborn (procure (false testimony or perjury))

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody

Derivation:

subornation (perjured testimony that someone was persuaded to give)

 Context examples 

We supposed he had now eased his mind, and told the worst he knew of the cook; but, a day or two afterwards, his conscience sustained a new twinge, and he disclosed how she had a little girl, who, early every morning, took away our bread; and also how he himself had been suborned to maintain the milkman in coals.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

Hence it follows of necessity, that vast numbers of our people are compelled to seek their livelihood by begging, robbing, stealing, cheating, pimping, flattering, suborning, forswearing, forging, gaming, lying, fawning, hectoring, voting, scribbling, star-gazing, poisoning, whoring, canting, libelling, freethinking, and the like occupations: every one of which terms I was at much pains to make him understand.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)