as in bribe
something given or promised in order to improperly influence a person's conduct or decision
the customs official let us know that he might be prepared to look the other way if an appropriate backhander was slipped into his palm
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Recent Examples of backhander
Sprung on a breakaway, Boldly’s crafty backhander slipped past the Edmonton goalie on the glove side less than five minutes into the game.
—
Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 20 Dec. 2025
But Winnipeg’s Kyle Connor answered right back with a beauty of his own, roofing a backhander past Knight to seal the win.
—Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 31 Oct. 2025
In the tail end of killing a penalty, Morgan Barron stole the puck and fed Scheifele, whose backhander deflected off Anderson past Kuemper.
—Daily News, 11 Oct. 2025
But the Panthers answered 34 seconds later with a backhander.
—Phil Thompson, Chicago Tribune, 22 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for backhander
Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 20 Dec. 2025
But Winnipeg’s Kyle Connor answered right back with a beauty of his own, roofing a backhander past Knight to seal the win.
—Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 31 Oct. 2025
In the tail end of killing a penalty, Morgan Barron stole the puck and fed Scheifele, whose backhander deflected off Anderson past Kuemper.
—Daily News, 11 Oct. 2025
But the Panthers answered 34 seconds later with a backhander.
—Phil Thompson, Chicago Tribune, 22 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for backhander
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backhander
bribe
Noun
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Federal prosecutors said Azevedo accepted a bribe to secure a contract for an affordable housing company in exchange for a cut of the sales.—
Chase Hunter,
Mercury News,
10 Feb. 2026
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Do was sentenced in June 2025 to 60 months in prison after pleading guilty to federal charges of accepting more than $800,000 in bribes in exchange for diverting $10 million in pandemic relief money, mostly to a nonprofit that employed his daughter.—
Tony Saavedra,
Oc Register,
7 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Backhander.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backhander. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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