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
Setrakian refused to say whether his work on Bonta’s defense might violate state corruption laws.
—
Will Swaim, Oc Register, 6 Apr. 2026
Shackelford accused Hernandez of corruption, and her own department of enabling and covering it up, in a detailed whistleblower complaint to DeSantis’ Chief Inspector General.
—Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2026
New York City Councilwoman Farah Louis is under increasing scrutiny amid a federal public corruption investigation involving the state’s homeless shelters for migrants.
—Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 2 Apr. 2026
The department also dismantled its Public Integrity Section, which was tasked with prosecuting public corruption, and greatly scaled back its focus on pursuing white-collar crime in favor of making immigration and narco-trafficking the priority.
—Sarah N. Lynch, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for corruption
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Will Swaim, Oc Register, 6 Apr. 2026
Shackelford accused Hernandez of corruption, and her own department of enabling and covering it up, in a detailed whistleblower complaint to DeSantis’ Chief Inspector General.
—Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2026
New York City Councilwoman Farah Louis is under increasing scrutiny amid a federal public corruption investigation involving the state’s homeless shelters for migrants.
—Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 2 Apr. 2026
The department also dismantled its Public Integrity Section, which was tasked with prosecuting public corruption, and greatly scaled back its focus on pursuing white-collar crime in favor of making immigration and narco-trafficking the priority.
—Sarah N. Lynch, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for corruption
Cite this Entry
“Corruption.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/corruption. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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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