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
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
Not only did The Simpsons predict the corruption scandal, but Germany won the World Cup in the episode and went on to win the real World Cup that same year, making yet another prediction come true.
—
Zoe Kaplan, PEOPLE, 11 Oct. 2025
Led by President Mahmoud Abbas, who succeeded Arafat upon his death two decades ago, the PA's legitimacy has been beset by accusations of corruption, lack of elections and growing violence by Israeli settlers and armed Palestinian factions.
—Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
After years of violence, corruption and poverty, governments are increasingly using authoritarian tactics, and the defense of democracy has taken a backseat to pressing domestic issues and economic agendas.
—Nora Gamez Torres, Miami Herald, 10 Oct. 2025
Albania has been on a mission to root out corruption for the past decade, embarking on a widespread vetting process of every judge in the country, and creating specialized anti-corruption bodies to prosecute graft, to improve its chance of acceding to the European Union.
—Tharin Pillay, Time, 10 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for corruption
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Zoe Kaplan, PEOPLE, 11 Oct. 2025
Led by President Mahmoud Abbas, who succeeded Arafat upon his death two decades ago, the PA's legitimacy has been beset by accusations of corruption, lack of elections and growing violence by Israeli settlers and armed Palestinian factions.
—Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
After years of violence, corruption and poverty, governments are increasingly using authoritarian tactics, and the defense of democracy has taken a backseat to pressing domestic issues and economic agendas.
—Nora Gamez Torres, Miami Herald, 10 Oct. 2025
Albania has been on a mission to root out corruption for the past decade, embarking on a widespread vetting process of every judge in the country, and creating specialized anti-corruption bodies to prosecute graft, to improve its chance of acceding to the European Union.
—Tharin Pillay, Time, 10 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for corruption
Cite this Entry
“Corruption.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/corruption. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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