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

Inside Spain, where Sánchez’s administration and party are under investigation for corruption—a former party leader is alleged to have ties to Chinese and Venezuelan criminal networks—the prime minister has plenty of opponents. — Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 2 Aug. 2026

Perhaps Infantino will take confidence from his predecessor, Sepp Blatter, who was called out by UEFA in 2011 following corruption allegations against FIFA members, only to remain in office for another five years. — Simon Hughes, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2026

These errors can cause crashes or enable attackers to exploit memory vulnerabilities, risking data corruption or executing malicious code. — Davey Winder, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026

Smith characterized Galatolo’s crimes as private misconduct rather than public corruption, arguing that jurors did not accept the prosecution’s theory that Galatolo enriched himself by accepting gifts in exchange for government contracts. — Caelyn Pender, Mercury News, 31 July 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