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

Synonyms of corruption

• decomposition
• decay

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

Similarly, corruption or physical damage might destroy a file’s header, which contains its identifying metadata, while leaving other parts of it untouched. —Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026

The tournament was won by host nation Argentina, but also plagued by corruption accusations. —Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 19 Apr. 2026

Burke checked himself into a low-security federal prison camp in Thomson, Illinois, in September 2024, to start a two-year sentence on his corruption case. —Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 19 Apr. 2026

These swift moves from Magyar reflect his promise to sweep away the corruption, cronyism and Kremlin allyship that European officials and watchdogs say plagued Orbán's Hungary. —Alexander Smith, NBC news, 19 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

see corrupt entry 1

First Known Use

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

Phrases Containing corruption

• anti-corruption
• corruption of blood

Rhymes for corruption

• disruption
• eruption
• irruption
• incorruption
• interruption

Kids 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