corruption

noun

cor·rup·tion kə-ˈrəp-shən

: dishonest or illegal behavior especially by powerful people (such as government officials or police officers) : depravity

: inducement to wrong by improper or unlawful means (such as bribery)

the corruption of government officials

: a departure from the original or from what is pure or correct

the corruption of a text

the corruption of computer files

: decay, decomposition

the corruption of a carcass

chiefly dialectal : pus

archaic : an agency or influence that corrupts

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

He was arrested in 1973 on corruption charges, and his 52-day long trial cost 1.25 million British pounds. —

Elizabeth Stamp, Architectural Digest, 25 Dec. 2024 Adams, 64, was indicted in September on federal corruption charges, pleaded not guilty and denied any wrongdoing. —

Mark Crudele, ABC News, 21 Dec. 2024 Mixon cited more blatant examples in other political corruption cases. —

Jim Talamonti | The Center Square Contributor, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 20 Dec. 2024 The judge also delayed the trial on corruption charges against Cothren and Glen Casada, the former state House speaker, which was scheduled to begin March 5. —

Evan Mealins, The Tennessean, 20 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for corruption