corruption

noun cor·rup·tion \ kə-ˈrəp-shən \

|Updated on: 12 Aug 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

Nigeria’s army, hollowed out by corruption, was in disarray.

— The Economist, "The fight against Islamic State is moving to Africa," 14 July 2018
The government of Ukraine has undertaken remarkable reforms to ensure economic growth, provide effective governance, facilitate human capital development, implement the rule of law and fight corruption....

— monitor editors, The Christian Science Monitor, "Troubled by the US Supreme Court’s upholding of Trump’s travel ban, Erdoğan’s reelection tilts toward authoritarianism, Why a stable Turkey is important, Ukraine has come a long way since Russia’s invasion, ‘Standard of living’ or ‘standard of life’?," 14 July 2018
The elite corruption in this country is carried out with increasing impunity and brazenness.

— max bearak, Washington Post, "Kenyans have had it with corruption. Their leaders may finally be doing something about it.," 13 July 2018
The leadership of both FCA and the union have denied the case was indicative of widespread corruption, saying it was instead limited to a few bad actors.

— eric d. lawrence, Detroit Free Press, "Widow of UAW VP Holiefield gets 18 months in federal corruption case," 13 July 2018
There is also the small matter of widespread allegations of malfeasance and corruption involved in the bidding process, and some lingering sour grapes that the United States missed out because of it.

— martin rogers, USA TODAY, "Qatar is the World Cup every fan should attend," 13 July 2018
Lozano, 76, served for 30 years in Hammond’s federal court, presiding over cases ranging from public corruption to gang charges.

— becky jacobs, Post-Tribune, "Hammond federal judge Rudy Lozano, 76, dies," 13 July 2018
Under the lesser charge of corruption related to the misuse of public money, Puigdemont could still be sentenced to up to two years in prison, but such financial crime sentences are normally suspended in Spain for first-time offenders.

— raphael minder and christopher f. schuetze, BostonGlobe.com, "Ex-Catalonia leader can be extradited, but not on the charge Spain wants," 13 July 2018
My unenviable position started with the death of my lawyer, Sergei Magnitsky, in 2009 at the hands of the Russian state after he had uncovered a massive Russian government corruption scheme.

— bill browder, Time, "I've Been Putin's Number One Foreign Enemy for a Decade. Here's What Trump Should Know About Handling Him," 12 July 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