corruption
noun
cor·rup·tion
kə-ˈrəp-shən 
1
a
: dishonest or illegal behavior especially by powerful people (such as government officials or police officers) : depravity
b
: inducement to wrong by improper or unlawful means (such as bribery)
the corruption of government officials
c
: a departure from the original or from what is pure or correct
the corruption of a text
the corruption of computer files
d
: decay, decomposition
the corruption of a carcass
2
chiefly dialectal
: pus
3
archaic
: an agency or influence that corrupts
Synonyms
Examples of corruption in a Sentence
There are rumors of widespread corruption in the city government.
the mafia's corruption of public officials
corruption of the English language
computer software that is supposed to prevent the corruption of files
the corruption of a text
Recent Examples on the Web
Crime and corruption South Africa has long had notoriously high crime rates, which have been described as being close to war-zone levels.
—
Kate Bartlett, NPR, 24 May 2024
Where the republic’s hypocrisy fed its fatal weakness, corruption, the Taliban’s unabashed brutality was consonant with the movement’s strength, its unity.
—Matthieu Aikins Victor J. Blue Peter Ganim Krish Seenivasan Steven Szczesniak, New York Times, 22 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for corruption 
Kate Bartlett, NPR, 24 May 2024
Where the republic’s hypocrisy fed its fatal weakness, corruption, the Taliban’s unabashed brutality was consonant with the movement’s strength, its unity.
—Matthieu Aikins Victor J. Blue Peter Ganim Krish Seenivasan Steven Szczesniak, New York Times, 22 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for corruption
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'corruption.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near corruption
Cite this Entry
“Corruption.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/corruption. Accessed 28 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
corruption
noun
cor·rup·tion
kə-ˈrəp-shən
1
: physical decay or rotting
2
: dishonest or evil behavior
3
: the causing of someone else to do wrong (as by bribery)
4
: a change from the original or for the worse
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share