corruption

noun cor·rup·tion \ kə-ˈrəp-shən \

|Updated on: 17 Jun 2018

Examples: corruption in a Sentence

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

Mr López Obrador, whose pragmatic streak is increasingly visible as election day nears, now promises only to review the contracts already awarded, to check for corruption.

— The Economist, "The murky future of two Latin American oil giants," 14 June 2018
The former president of FIFA, Sepp Blatter, who was suspended for corruption, will be attending the World Cup after being invited by Putin.

— PEOPLE.com, "5 Things to Know About the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia," 14 June 2018
Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick – a Democrat serving a 28-year sentence for corruption – is seeking President Donald Trump’s help to get out of prison early, according to reports.

— dom calicchio, Fox News, "Ex-Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick wants Trump to spring him from prison," 13 June 2018
Its leaders a century ago shaped a system of public administration that sought to avoid cronyism and corruption by fragmenting power.

— chanan tigay, GQ, "Eric Garcetti Is the Anti-Trump, Pro–Star Wars Man We Need," 12 June 2018
After two coup attempts in 1992 he was weakened and eventually removed for corruption.

— mary anastasia o’grady, WSJ, "Venezuela’s Long Road to Hell," 10 June 2018
Is affluence merely a signifier, now, of venality and corruption?

— taylor antrim, Vogue, "Five Reasons to Get Hooked on HBO’s Succession," 8 June 2018
Blagojevich was sent down for political corruption by one of Comey's best friends -- Chicago prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald.

— stephen collinson, CNN, "Trump has many motivations -- but power rules them all," 1 June 2018
According to a report from the Los Angeles Times’s Eli Stokols, who is traveling with the president, Trump thinks Blagojevich’s punishment for corruption was too harsh.

— li zhou, Vox, "Trump says he’ll consider commuting Rod Blagojevich’s sentence, pardoning Martha Stewart," 31 May 2018

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