corrupt

1 of 2

verb

cor·​rupt kə-ˈrəpt 

corrupted; corrupting; corrupts

transitive verb

1

a

: to change from good to bad in morals, manners, or actions

Officials were corrupted by greed.

was accused of corrupting the youth

also : bribe

b

: to degrade with unsound principles or moral values

Some fear the merger will corrupt the competitive marketplace.

2

: rot, spoil

The fruits were transported without being corrupted.

3

: to subject (a person) to corruption of blood

4

: to alter from the original or correct form or version

The file was corrupted.

intransitive verb

1

a

: to become tainted or rotten

leaving the bodies to corrupt on the field

b

: to become morally debased

2

: to cause disintegration or ruin

corrupter noun

or less commonly corruptor

kə-ˈrəp-tər 

corruptibility

kə-ˌrəp-tə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

corruptible

kə-ˈrəp-tə-bəl 

adjective

corruptibly

kə-ˈrəp-tə-blē 

adverb

corrupt

2 of 2

adjective

1

a

: morally degenerate and perverted : depraved

b

: characterized by improper conduct (such as bribery or the selling of favors)

corrupt judges

2

: putrid, tainted

3

: adulterated or debased by change from an original or correct condition

a corrupt version of the text

corruptly

kə-ˈrəp(t)-lē 

adverb

corruptness

kə-ˈrəp(t)-nəs 

noun

Synonyms

Verb

• break down
• decay
• decompose
• disintegrate
• fester
• foul
• mold
• molder
• perish [chiefly British]
• putrefy
• rot
• spoil

Adjective

• debased
• debauched
• decadent
• degenerate
• degraded
• demoralized
• depraved
• dissipated
• dissolute
• jackleg
• libertine
• loose
• perverse
• perverted
• rakehell
• rakehelly
• rakish
• reprobate
• sick
• unclean
• unwholesome
• warped

Choose the Right Synonym for corrupt

Verb

debase, vitiate, deprave, corrupt, debauch, pervert mean to cause deterioration or lowering in quality or character.

debase implies a loss of position, worth, value, or dignity.

commercialism has debased the holiday

vitiate implies a destruction of purity, validity, or effectiveness by allowing entrance of a fault or defect.

a foreign policy vitiated by partisanship

deprave implies moral deterioration by evil thoughts or influences.

the claim that society is depraved by pornography

corrupt implies loss of soundness, purity, or integrity.

the belief that bureaucratese corrupts the language

debauch implies a debasing through sensual indulgence.

the long stay on a tropical isle had debauched the ship's crew

pervert implies a twisting or distorting from what is natural or normal.

perverted the original goals of the institute

Adjective

vicious, villainous, iniquitous, nefarious, corrupt, degenerate mean highly reprehensible or offensive in character, nature, or conduct.

vicious may directly oppose virtuous in implying moral depravity, or may connote malignancy, cruelty, or destructive violence.

a vicious gangster

villainous applies to any evil, depraved, or vile conduct or characteristic.

a villainous assault

iniquitous implies absence of all signs of justice or fairness.

an iniquitous system of taxation

nefarious suggests flagrant breaching of time-honored laws and traditions of conduct.

the nefarious rackets of organized crime

corrupt stresses a loss of moral integrity or probity causing betrayal of principle or sworn obligations.

city hall was rife with corrupt politicians

degenerate suggests having sunk to an especially vicious or enervated condition.

a degenerate regime propped up by foreign powers

Examples of corrupt in a Sentence

Verb

a politician corrupted by greed

music that corrupts the morals of children

corrupting the country's legal system

the corrupting influence of power

Their idealism has been corrupted by cynicism.

The file has been corrupted and no longer works properly.

a corrupted version of the ancient text

Adjective

The country's justice system is riddled with corrupt judges who accept bribes.

corrupt cops who sell drugs

the country's corrupt legal system

a corrupt version of the text

a corrupt computer file that no longer works properly

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Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Thousands of texts, gambling receipts and bank transfers laid out Sargsyan’s ascent in remarkable detail, showing how an Armenian immigrant in Belgium with no background in tennis had managed to corrupt a sport with a refined, moneyed image. —Kevin Sieff, Washington Post, 7 Sep. 2023

The homophobia was not subtle; many viewers couldn’t understand the kiss as anything other than a deliberate ploy to corrupt the minds of their children. —Christian Allaire, Vogue, 28 Aug. 2023

Such a goal would be initially introduced by humans, but might come from a malicious actor, or not have been thought through carefully, or might get corrupted during training or deployment. —Time, 20 July 2023

Fury and his secret agent team (including Cobie Smulders and Martin Freeman) must stop the bad Skrulls from doing some very bad stuff, like starting World War III or worse, corrupting Talos’ daughter G'iah (Emilia Clarke). —Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 21 June 2023

Some data has been corrupted in the software transition. —Josephine Peterson, Dallas News, 15 Aug. 2023

The new arrivals were treated as an invading species, who were stealing jobs, spreading disease, and corrupting the body politic. —WIRED, 9 Aug. 2023

Along for the ride is Ryan Gosling’s dumbly devoted Ken, who proceeds to corrupt their colorful, plastic home with the toxic ideals of modern patriarchy. —Jack Smart, Peoplemag, 2 Aug. 2023

There’s that famous quote about how power corrupts. —Patrick Frater, Variety, 28 July 2023

Adjective

She has been exiled since 2009 due to her reporting on corrupt officials. —Sarah Baniak, ABC News, 19 Sep. 2023

Critics saw the move as a throwback to the corrupt 19th-century patronage system, when all federal jobs were partisan spoils rather than based on merit. —Jonathan Swan, BostonGlobe.com, 15 Sep. 2023

While other Central American nations suffered civil wars, vicious street gangs and corrupt leaders, Costa Rica had low crime, a thriving democracy and no armed forces. —Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2023

Yuli fled Maracaibo, Venezuela, after receiving death threats from members of a corrupt police force. —Lillian Perlmutter, The New Republic, 13 Sep. 2023

Consider Burisma, the corrupt Ukrainian energy company that paid his son lavishly ... —Rich Lowry, National Review, 11 Sep. 2023

The president's political foes have latched onto Hunter's overseas business dealings to level allegations depicting the entire Biden family as corrupt, despite uncovering no clear evidence to date indicating that Joe Biden profited from or meaningfully endorsed his son's work. —Lucien Bruggeman, ABC News, 14 Sep. 2023

Inspired by the story of America’s most infamous outlaw, Season 2 will see Billy battle head-to-head with his old friend Jesse Evans and the corrupt powers of the Santa Fe Ring. —Mckinley Franklin, Variety, 13 Sep. 2023

Other countries were also pushing for the firing of the Ukrainian official, viewing him as corrupt. —Farnoush Amiri, The Christian Science Monitor, 13 Sep. 2023

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Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Latin corruptus, past participle of corrumpere, from com- + rumpere to break — more at reave

Adjective

Middle English, from Anglo-French or Latin; Anglo-French, from Latin corruptus — see corrupt entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

corrupt

1 of 2 verb

cor·​rupt kə-ˈrəpt 

1

: to change from good to bad in morals, manners, or actions

especially : to influence a public official improperly

2

: rot entry 1 sense 1a, spoil

3

: to change from the original or correct form or version

corrupt a text

4

: to become debased

corrupter noun

also corruptor

-ˈrəp-tər 

corrupt

2 of 2 adjective

1

: morally corrupted : depraved

2

: characterized by improper conduct

a corrupt government

corruptly

-ˈrəp(t)-lē 

adverb

corruptness

-ˈrəp(t)-nəs 

noun

Etymology

Verb

Middle English corrupten "change from good to bad, corrupt," from Latin corruptus "corrupted," from corrumpere "to corrupt," from cor-, com- "with" and rumpere "to break" — related to abrupt, rupture

Legal Definition

corrupt

1 of 2 adjective

cor·​rupt

kə-ˈrəpt

: having an unlawful or evil motive

especially : characterized by improper and usually unlawful conduct intended to secure a benefit for oneself or another (as by taking or giving bribes)

corruptly adjective

corruptness noun

corrupt

2 of 2 transitive verb

1

: to change from good to bad in principles or moral values

corrupting a minor

2

: to subject (a person) to corruption of blood

corruptibility

kə-ˌrəp-tə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

corruptible

kə-ˈrəp-tə-bəl 

adjective

corruptibly adverb

corruption

kə-ˈrəp-shən 

noun