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
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
In 2024, Nepal ranked 107th out of 180 countries on Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index, with 84% of people perceiving government corruption to be a major problem.
—
Nir Kshetri, The Conversation, 14 Sep. 2025
However, corruption does account for a large – and seemingly growing – number of cases.
—Sofía Benavides, CNN Money, 14 Sep. 2025
There’s corruption, cover-ups, a tabloid journalist (Danny DeVito) whispering in people’s ears, and a Veronica Lake lookalike named Lynn (Kim Basinger, who won an Oscar for her performance) who’s caught in the middle of everything.
—Travis Bean, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
But some are concerned the street crime focus could draw attention from the sophisticated public corruption and national security threats for which the bureau has long been primarily, if not solely, responsible for investigating.
—Eric Tucker, Twin Cities, 13 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for corruption
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Nir Kshetri, The Conversation, 14 Sep. 2025
However, corruption does account for a large – and seemingly growing – number of cases.
—Sofía Benavides, CNN Money, 14 Sep. 2025
There’s corruption, cover-ups, a tabloid journalist (Danny DeVito) whispering in people’s ears, and a Veronica Lake lookalike named Lynn (Kim Basinger, who won an Oscar for her performance) who’s caught in the middle of everything.
—Travis Bean, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
But some are concerned the street crime focus could draw attention from the sophisticated public corruption and national security threats for which the bureau has long been primarily, if not solely, responsible for investigating.
—Eric Tucker, Twin Cities, 13 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for corruption
Cite this Entry
“Corruption.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/corruption. Accessed 16 Sep. 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
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