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
The Philippines is one of Asia’s most flood-prone countries but this year it has also been mired in a massive corruption scandal involving flood control projects that have brought thousands of protesters onto the streets.
—
Laura Sharman, CNN Money, 8 Nov. 2025
Roosevelt did this by releasing a controversial message to Congress, mainly about trusts and corporate corruption, around the same time that Hughes gave a speech about his own political future.
—JSTOR Daily, 7 Nov. 2025
Moraes was operating within a young and fragile constitution ratified in 1988 after years of autocratic rule, Brandao said, one that had failed so far to stem pervasive corruption in the country.
—Ron Kampeas, The Washington Examiner, 7 Nov. 2025
Messages attacking the Clinton Foundation with unproven allegations of corruption were specifically shown to Black voters in Little Haiti, Trump campaign sources told Bloomberg in 2016.
—David Smiley, Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for corruption
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Laura Sharman, CNN Money, 8 Nov. 2025
Roosevelt did this by releasing a controversial message to Congress, mainly about trusts and corporate corruption, around the same time that Hughes gave a speech about his own political future.
—JSTOR Daily, 7 Nov. 2025
Moraes was operating within a young and fragile constitution ratified in 1988 after years of autocratic rule, Brandao said, one that had failed so far to stem pervasive corruption in the country.
—Ron Kampeas, The Washington Examiner, 7 Nov. 2025
Messages attacking the Clinton Foundation with unproven allegations of corruption were specifically shown to Black voters in Little Haiti, Trump campaign sources told Bloomberg in 2016.
—David Smiley, Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 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 13 Nov. 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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