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
Contact Public Investigator Government corruption.
—
Tamia Fowlkes, jsonline.com, 6 Oct. 2025
Hughes tried to operate the Cash Box music chart without the money and corruption it had become known for.
—Keith Sharon, Nashville Tennessean, 5 Oct. 2025
This crackdown is considered a significant development in Sheinbaum’s campaign against corruption and has won the support of 70% of Mexicans, according to a survey by Enkoll for El País newspaper and W Radio, even though many experts liken progress so far to a drop in the ocean.
—Michael Rios, CNN Money, 5 Oct. 2025
Saudi Arabia launched a high-profile effort to stamp out corruption in 2017 with the detention of princes, government ministers, and business moguls at the Ritz-Carlton in Riyadh, recovering over $100 billion in assets.
—Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 5 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for corruption
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Tamia Fowlkes, jsonline.com, 6 Oct. 2025
Hughes tried to operate the Cash Box music chart without the money and corruption it had become known for.
—Keith Sharon, Nashville Tennessean, 5 Oct. 2025
This crackdown is considered a significant development in Sheinbaum’s campaign against corruption and has won the support of 70% of Mexicans, according to a survey by Enkoll for El País newspaper and W Radio, even though many experts liken progress so far to a drop in the ocean.
—Michael Rios, CNN Money, 5 Oct. 2025
Saudi Arabia launched a high-profile effort to stamp out corruption in 2017 with the detention of princes, government ministers, and business moguls at the Ritz-Carlton in Riyadh, recovering over $100 billion in assets.
—Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 5 Oct. 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 8 Oct. 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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