1. To urge or to persuade someone secretly to do or to commit an unlawful or evil act: The con man attempted to suborn his friends into robbing the bank.
2. To lie or to obtain perjured testimony from a witness in a court of law: Mike was accused of suborning a witness who knew nothing about the crime, which turned out to be true, because he suborned his neighbor to testify in his behalf.
3. To bribe or to induce someone to unlawfully or secretly perform some misdeed or to commit a crime: Bruce was suborned by his friend to use another person's credit card to get some money.

A man was caught in the act of trying to suborn a youth to snatch a purse from a customer in the store.

4. Etymology: "to procure by bribery, to lure someone to commit a crime"; from Middle French, suborner, from Latin subornare, "to equip, to prepare", from sub, "under, secretly" + ornare "to equip, to provide". © ALL rights are reserved.

Go to this Word A Day Revisited Index
so you can see more of Mickey Bach's cartoons.