ALSO DEFINED AS BRIBES, extortion, influence-peddling, kickback, tribute, or payola, graft is generally understood to be the offer or promise from one party to improperly influence the judgment of a second party. Graft covers a continuum from local police looking the other way for a free meal to a multinational corporation convincing a local politician to allow environmental waste to be stored in his jurisdiction.

The entry of graft into a transaction can come from the person with the controlling influence seeking remuneration, or the person desiring the object controlled by offering remuneration to the controlling party. Within the two extremes, other examples include: goods given to Olympic committee members to favor a certain city, a judge modifying his ruling, a governor issuing a pardon, and ...