1
as in decomposing
to go through decomposition
a dead mouse corrupting in the walls produced a terrible smell
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of corrupting
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
Political opponents appear as corrupting forces, stripped of individual texture.
—Philip Martin, Washington Post, 7 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
And Maduro, both, Juan Orlando Hernandez, were accused of prolific drug trafficking, enriching themselves, corrupting their country, and allowing violence and danger to flourish.
—ABC News, 4 Jan. 2026
First, someone, like the objecting citizen in Denton, warns that a dangerous force is corrupting the schools.
—Jonathan Zimmerman, The Atlantic, 23 Dec. 2025
Elites stirred up a now familiar moral panic about commerce corrupting letters and mocked Grub Street even as its writers built the first modern freelance economy and mass-print culture.
—Deni Ellis Béchard, Scientific American, 8 Nov. 2025
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
Political opponents appear as corrupting forces, stripped of individual texture.
—Philip Martin, Washington Post, 7 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
And Maduro, both, Juan Orlando Hernandez, were accused of prolific drug trafficking, enriching themselves, corrupting their country, and allowing violence and danger to flourish.
—ABC News, 4 Jan. 2026
First, someone, like the objecting citizen in Denton, warns that a dangerous force is corrupting the schools.
—Jonathan Zimmerman, The Atlantic, 23 Dec. 2025
Elites stirred up a now familiar moral panic about commerce corrupting letters and mocked Grub Street even as its writers built the first modern freelance economy and mass-print culture.
—Deni Ellis Béchard, Scientific American, 8 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for corrupting
Verb
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Mushrooms also thrive in decomposing wood mulch.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
26 Feb. 2026
-
To prevent the fallow area from turning into a weed patch, cover it with agricultural-grade plastic or a thick layer of slowly decomposing mulch such as wood chips.—
Nadia Hassani,
The Spruce,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Nor was the fact that much of our president’s career has been spent mocking, belittling, and degrading women.—
Brittany Pettersen,
Denver Post,
27 Feb. 2026
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Moreover, all recent presidents have resorted to the degrading spectacle of dragging humble fellow citizens into the spotlight, either to celebrate their achievements or, far worse, to make a spectacle of their private grief by putting it under the klieg lights of national publicity.—
Eliot A. Cohen,
The Atlantic,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Even without bribing the bots to provide direct advertising, brands are already trying to find ways to get into the good books of AI search results.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
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Then, in February of last year, Coral Gables criminal defense attorney David Macey was indicted along with Pagan on charges of bribing Costanzo to obtain confidential information about drug-trafficking suspects to recruit them as potential clients for his law firm.—
Jay Weaver,
Miami Herald,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
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By 2019, Virginia photographer John Plashal caught wind of what was disintegrating on Hankins' out-of-the-way acres.—
Danielle Paquette The Washington Post,
Arkansas Online,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Around the world, states were disintegrating, climate systems were approaching tipping points, economies were stagnating, and inequality was rising.—
Billy Perrigo,
Time,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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For his purposes of subverting elections, creating uncertainty may be nearly as effective as a real policy change.—
David A. Graham,
The Atlantic,
18 Feb. 2026
-
And her co-stars—Jacob Elordi as a brooding Heathcliff, Alison Oliver as an angelic Isabella Linton, Hong Chau as a steely Nelly Dean, and Shazad Latif as a swaggering Edgar Linton—would also be subverting our expectations.—
Radhika Seth,
Vogue,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Waugh walks around with a newfound swagger, playing hooky, drinking heavily, even seducing a woman at his local.—
Dan Piepenbring,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Feb. 2026
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Ian Somerhalder’s character delights in seducing aggro closeted dudes.—
Ky Henderson,
Rolling Stone,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Protect your home by removing decaying wood, controlling moisture, and cleaning gutters and overgrowth.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
6 Mar. 2026
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Meanwhile, scotch whisky wouldn’t even exist without the decaying power of peat—a terrifying thought, if there ever was one.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The concentration of power in one person, the undermining of elections, disregarding the rule of law, the weakening checks and balances, and replacing constitutional loyalty with personal loyalty.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
1 Mar. 2026
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The arrogance seen in 2010 is now also on display in how Lawson-Remer is making the case for weakening term limits as part of broader changes that would give the board’s Democratic majority (and its union allies) even more clout.—
U T Editorial Board,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Corrupting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/corrupting. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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