1
as in decomposing
to go through decomposition
a dead mouse corrupting in the walls produced a terrible smell
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in degrading
to lower in character, dignity, or quality
some observers believe that grossly violent movies corrupt the people who watch them as well as the people who make them
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in bribing
to influence someone with a bribe
he bragged about having corrupted half of the officials on the city council
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Recent Examples of corrupting
An early discussion about social contracts comes down to us in Plato’s dialogue Crito in which Socrates, condemned to death for allegedly corrupting the youth, refused an offer to escape from prison.
—
George G. Szpiro, Big Think, 9 Apr. 2026
Meanwhile, the Pima County Sheriff Office investigating Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance is facing troubles of its own, as a former sheriff has accused current leadership of ‘corrupting’ the crime scene, and a deputy has been arrested and fired on a kidnapping charge.
—Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
For Hildegard of Bingen, the German mystic, scientist, composer, and philosopher, women’s maternal bodies were not corrupting and degrading, but strong, nurturing, and creative.
—Literary Hub, 18 Mar. 2026
Richard Pazdur, a longtime cancer drug regulator, retired from the CDER director post in December due to concerns that political officials were corrupting the agency’s scientific process.
—Lizzy Lawrence, STAT, 6 Mar. 2026
In this way at least, the mayor follows in the path of Socrates by corrupting the young.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 18 Feb. 2026
But now, federal prosecutors say Hennen is the fixer behind the biggest point-shaving scandal in history, accused of bribing 39 college players, corrupting 17 programs and fixing — or trying fix — 29 games to enrich himself and other gamblers.
—Andy Sheehan, CBS News, 26 Jan. 2026
Blakeney then recruited other players on the team, corrupting the integrity of games, according to the indictment.
—Paulina Dedaj , Ryan Morik , Andrew Fone, FOXNews.com, 15 Jan. 2026
Achim Kempf, the Chair for Physics of Information and AI in the Department of Applied Mathematics, and Koji Yamaguchi, then a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Waterloo, co-discovered a method to copy quantum information without corrupting it.
—Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 7 Jan. 2026
George G. Szpiro, Big Think, 9 Apr. 2026
Meanwhile, the Pima County Sheriff Office investigating Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance is facing troubles of its own, as a former sheriff has accused current leadership of ‘corrupting’ the crime scene, and a deputy has been arrested and fired on a kidnapping charge.
—Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
For Hildegard of Bingen, the German mystic, scientist, composer, and philosopher, women’s maternal bodies were not corrupting and degrading, but strong, nurturing, and creative.
—Literary Hub, 18 Mar. 2026
Richard Pazdur, a longtime cancer drug regulator, retired from the CDER director post in December due to concerns that political officials were corrupting the agency’s scientific process.
—Lizzy Lawrence, STAT, 6 Mar. 2026
In this way at least, the mayor follows in the path of Socrates by corrupting the young.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 18 Feb. 2026
But now, federal prosecutors say Hennen is the fixer behind the biggest point-shaving scandal in history, accused of bribing 39 college players, corrupting 17 programs and fixing — or trying fix — 29 games to enrich himself and other gamblers.
—Andy Sheehan, CBS News, 26 Jan. 2026
Blakeney then recruited other players on the team, corrupting the integrity of games, according to the indictment.
—Paulina Dedaj , Ryan Morik , Andrew Fone, FOXNews.com, 15 Jan. 2026
Achim Kempf, the Chair for Physics of Information and AI in the Department of Applied Mathematics, and Koji Yamaguchi, then a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Waterloo, co-discovered a method to copy quantum information without corrupting it.
—Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 7 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for corrupting
Verb
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The search was prompted by soil vapor sampling, an experimental technology that detected volatile organic compounds potentially associated with decomposing human remains — though the method remains unproven in criminal investigations.—
Richard Winton,
Los Angeles Times,
6 May 2026
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Carie Hallford was sentenced to 30 years for her role in a scheme that involved hiding nearly 200 decomposing bodies.—
Eduardo Cuevas,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In contrast, the researchers engineered separate strains of Bacillus subtilis to produce two cooperative polymer-degrading enzymes that work in tandem.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
11 May 2026
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Experts claim the layer can begin degrading at temperatures above 158°F, potentially accelerating battery wear over time and increasing long-term safety concerns if such heat exposure becomes frequent.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
10 May 2026
Verb
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Another man Wang communicated with, John Chen, was also sentenced to 20 months in prison for acting as an unregistered agent and bribing an IRS agent, prosecutors said.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
12 May 2026
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Back in the day, scandals typically were point-shaving schemes that involved shadowy figures bribing athletes.—
Kirk Kenney,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
1 May 2026
Verb
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The meteor was moving southwest at 30,000 miles per hour and traveled 117 miles through the upper atmosphere before disintegrating 27 miles above the town of Galloway north of Atlantic City, New Jersey, according to NASA.—
Kate Perez,
USA Today,
8 Apr. 2026
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Last year, the Dominican Republic deported more than 100,000 Haitians back to their disintegrating country.—
George Packer,
The Atlantic,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The inaugural season was about subverting expectations.—
Eddie Brown,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
1 May 2026
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In the Placer County foothills, one winery is subverting expectations and offering wine tasting experiences at a staggeringly low cost.—
Camila Pedrosa,
Sacbee.com,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Nate plays his older neighbors like a fiddle, seducing them with his beauty, money, and youth.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
20 Apr. 2026
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On the left, he’s heralded as the only voice capable of seducing young men disaffected by party politics.—
Abigail Sylvor Greenberg,
Vanity Fair,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Indoor plants won’t always attract earwigs, but decaying plant matter or mold in the soil, issues that are common with over watering, will.—
Dan Simms,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
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The transformation of decaying riads into hotels has often meant aiding the restoration of Marrakech’s UNESCO heritage site.—
Rebecca Ann Hughes,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
Verb
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No ‘victory image’ for Tehran Ruhe similarly argued that Israel wants to avoid any agreement that restores legitimacy to the Iranian regime without fundamentally weakening it.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
6 May 2026
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Forecasters say geomagnetic activity is gradually weakening, but lingering disturbances in Earth's magnetic field could still spark visible displays overnight, particularly in northern regions.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
6 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Corrupting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/corrupting. Accessed 16 May. 2026.
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