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
The first is Sweeney Todd — an interesting choice, seeing as Stephen Sondheim’s cannibalistic tale explores themes of political corruption and the destructive forces of free markets.
—
Seth Abramovitch, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Jan. 2025
The committee identified graft and corruption, inefficiencies and waste.
—Bruce W. Dearstyne / Made By History, TIME, 13 Jan. 2025
This sort of dynamic is the last thing that should be introduced to a state government whose long-term House leader, Michael Madigan, has been sitting for weeks in a federal courtroom fighting corruption and conspiracy charges.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 10 Jan. 2025
In addition to his new gig moonlighting as a model for J. Crew, Patrick Radden Keefe is on the crime and corruption beat as a staff writer for The New Yorker.
—Eric Lach, The New Yorker, 10 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for corruption 
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.
Seth Abramovitch, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Jan. 2025
The committee identified graft and corruption, inefficiencies and waste.
—Bruce W. Dearstyne / Made By History, TIME, 13 Jan. 2025
This sort of dynamic is the last thing that should be introduced to a state government whose long-term House leader, Michael Madigan, has been sitting for weeks in a federal courtroom fighting corruption and conspiracy charges.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 10 Jan. 2025
In addition to his new gig moonlighting as a model for J. Crew, Patrick Radden Keefe is on the crime and corruption beat as a staff writer for The New Yorker.
—Eric Lach, The New Yorker, 10 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for corruption
Dictionary Entries Near corruption
Cite this Entry
“Corruption.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/corruption. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.
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