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
Meanwhile, Sánchez, a former minister now popular with rural voters, has pledged to combat corruption within the police force and promote reforms that would enable the military to support security efforts.
—
ABC News, 7 June 2026
But his regime was plagued by allegations of human rights violations and corruption, for which he was convicted decades later.
—Claudia Rebaza, CNN Money, 7 June 2026
But by 2015, FIFA president Sepp Blatter had been forced to resign, felled by a corruption scandal, and Gianni Infantino, his successor, had changed the way the organization approved World Cup bids, going to a transparent public ballot in which every country would vote electronically.
—Kevin Baxter
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june 7, Los Angeles Times, 7 June 2026
One video complaint to Putin about corruption and censorship attracted tens of millions of viewers, briefly turning its creator, the lifestyle blogger Viktoria Bonya, who lives in Monaco, into an unlikely face of opposition to the Kremlin.
—Simon Shuster, The Atlantic, 6 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for corruption
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ABC News, 7 June 2026
But his regime was plagued by allegations of human rights violations and corruption, for which he was convicted decades later.
—Claudia Rebaza, CNN Money, 7 June 2026
But by 2015, FIFA president Sepp Blatter had been forced to resign, felled by a corruption scandal, and Gianni Infantino, his successor, had changed the way the organization approved World Cup bids, going to a transparent public ballot in which every country would vote electronically.
—Kevin Baxter
follow
june 7, Los Angeles Times, 7 June 2026
One video complaint to Putin about corruption and censorship attracted tens of millions of viewers, briefly turning its creator, the lifestyle blogger Viktoria Bonya, who lives in Monaco, into an unlikely face of opposition to the Kremlin.
—Simon Shuster, The Atlantic, 6 June 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 11 Jun. 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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