What does suborning mean?
Suborning is the present participle of the legal verb “suborn,” meaning to induce someone to commit perjury or another crime. The usual implication is that a witness has been influenced to lie through bribery, deception, or another improper inducement. In broader legal usage, the word can refer to procuring the commission of a wrongful act, although witness tampering and subornation of perjury are its best-known applications. Suborning is not a synonym for simply making a mistake or offering an opinion; it describes an attempt to corrupt another person’s testimony or conduct. The term is formal and appears chiefly in statutes, courtrooms, and discussions of perjury and obstruction of justice. Related forms include the basic verb “suborn” and the noun “subornation.”
verbTo induce someone to commit perjury or another crime, especially by bribery, improper inducement, or a promise of benefit. The word is chiefly used in legal contexts.
- To induce a witness to give false testimony or commit perjury.
- To procure the commission of a crime or other wrongful act by bribery or improper inducement.
"The investigation alleged that the defendant had suborned a witness by offering money in exchange for false testimony."
"The prosecutor alleged that he had suborned witnesses to undermine the defense."
"The statute criminalizes suborning perjury through bribery or deception."
The legal term for turning a witness into a liar—whether through money, promises, or other improper inducement.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does suborning come from?
The English word “suborn” comes from Latin subornare, formed from sub- (“under”) and ornare (“to furnish or equip”). In legal usage, the word developed the sense of causing or procuring another person to commit perjury or another offense. Its cognates in English, such as “ornate,” “ornament,” and “adorn,” preserve the underlying sense of equipping or decorating associated with the Latin root ornare.
Related word forms
How suborning is actually used
This is a formal, chiefly legal term. It is more common in American legal usage than in ordinary general English, and it normally implies improper inducement of another person to lie or commit an offense.
Easily confused with suborning
Suborning is the verb in its present-participle form, as in “suborning a witness,” while subornation is the noun naming the act or offense.