corruption

noun cor·rup·tion \ kə-ˈrəp-shən \

Definition of corruption

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

See corruption defined for English-language learners

See corruption defined for kids

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 of corruption from the Web

There former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of the leftist Workers’ Party has extended his lead in opinion polls to around 36 percent of voter intentions, despite having been convicted of corruption charges.

— raymond colitt, Bloomberg.com, "Risk of Populism in Brazil Is Real, Presidential Hopeful Says," 3 Nov. 2017
Louisville fired coach Rick Pitino in the aftermath of the ongoing federal investigation into college basketball corruption, and the man taking his place is former assistant David Padgett.

— brendan marks, charlotteobserver, "ACC: Rick Pitino impact, punch line on UNC star’s hand & Clemson recalls Spain attack," 25 Oct. 2017
Most important problems Political corruption/leadership is the most important problem facing the country today, according to 14 percent of the state’s voters.

— ross ramsey, star-telegram, "Poll: Texas voters say U.S. is headed in the wrong direction | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 24 Oct. 2017
The corruption scandal in the Supreme Court of Colombia, uncovered by the DEA, is shameful for our country.

— jay nordlinger, National Review, "Asylum Now," 24 Oct. 2017
Just a few months ago, Abe’s approval rating was in the gutter, dipping as low as 20 percent in the wake of a series of corruption scandals.

— jonah shepp, Daily Intelligencer, "Japan’s Leader Just Showed How Trump Could Win in 2020," 24 Oct. 2017
Bharara, known as a crusader against corporate corruption, has a new career as a podcast host.

— sari botton, Longreads, "The ‘Moderate Thoughfulness’ Hour with Preet Bharara," 5 Oct. 2017
The announcement comes months after widespread anti-corruption protests across Russia and the founding of a new National Guard in advance of the Russian presidential election in 2018.

— eric limer, Popular Mechanics, "The Kalashnikov 'Shield' Is a Monstrous Anti-Riot Truck," 29 Aug. 2017
And what to make of the unproven allegations from Guo, shared on social media from his exile in New York, that seek to tie HNA’s acquisitions to corruption among Chinese leaders and their family members? 6.

— laurence arnold, Bloomberg.com, "HNA, the Curious Company Worrying China and U.S.: QuickTake Q&A," 2 Nov. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'corruption.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of corruption

see ¹corrupt

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

corruption Synonyms

Other Legal Terms

actionable, alienable, carceral, chattel, complicity, decedent, larceny, malfeasance, modus operandi

CORRUPTION Defined for English Language Learners

corruption

noun

Definition of corruption for English Language Learners

: dishonest or illegal behavior especially by powerful people (such as government officials or police officers)
: the act of corrupting someone or something
: something that has been changed from its original form