1
as in decomposes
to go through decomposition
a dead mouse corrupting in the walls produced a terrible smell
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in degrades
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 bribes
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 corrupts
His relationship with his Jewish neighbors, the Brodskys, grows closer as Nazi power corrupts France.
—
Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026
As Jay Jonah Atterbury, one of a handful of new characters on the fourth season of Industry, Kal Penn weaponizes and corrupts the stoner quirks viewers may recognize from his years playing Kumar Patel in the Harold & Kumar films.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 12 Jan. 2026
Instead of a warning event, Expeditions imagines the historical fall that corrupts the Earth.
—Nola Taylor Tillman, Space.com, 21 Dec. 2025
Rather than simply attacking YoungBoy, Choppa frames himself as a corrective force, casting YoungBoy as someone who corrupts impressionable listeners.
—Jayson Buford, Rolling Stone, 3 Nov. 2025
Absolute power corrupts absolutely.
—Heidi Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 22 Aug. 2025
However, his songs eventually turn on each other and him when the newfound power corrupts them.
—Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026
As Jay Jonah Atterbury, one of a handful of new characters on the fourth season of Industry, Kal Penn weaponizes and corrupts the stoner quirks viewers may recognize from his years playing Kumar Patel in the Harold & Kumar films.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 12 Jan. 2026
Instead of a warning event, Expeditions imagines the historical fall that corrupts the Earth.
—Nola Taylor Tillman, Space.com, 21 Dec. 2025
Rather than simply attacking YoungBoy, Choppa frames himself as a corrective force, casting YoungBoy as someone who corrupts impressionable listeners.
—Jayson Buford, Rolling Stone, 3 Nov. 2025
Absolute power corrupts absolutely.
—Heidi Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 22 Aug. 2025
However, his songs eventually turn on each other and him when the newfound power corrupts them.
—Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for corrupts
Verb
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Another process, thermogenic hydrogen formation, occurs in deep sedimentary basins when organic material decomposes under high temperatures, roughly 480 to 930 degrees Fahrenheit (250 to 500 degrees Celsius).—
Promise Longe,
The Conversation,
26 Feb. 2026
-
The clever bit is when these fuels flow through the Draper engine and encounter a catalyst that decomposes the hydrogen peroxide into high-pressure oxygen and steam.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
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That process extends shelf life but also degrades the live enzymes and micronutrients that make fresh juice worth drinking in the first place.—
Avery Newmark,
AJC.com,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Most retinol products are restricted to nighttime use because the ingredient degrades in sunlight, so this flexibility is a genuine differentiator.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Miami Herald,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In one of the film’s most madcap and darkly comedic moments, Linda bribes her daughter with the promise of a pet hamster — who turns out to be a biter, desperate to escape its box.—
Rachel Brodsky,
Rolling Stone,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
But shortly thereafter, its nucleus fragments and quickly disintegrates.—
Joe Rao,
Space.com,
31 Mar. 2026
-
The café disintegrates, white-peach mimosas lost forever.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Similar to airline tickets or ride-sharing fares, prices may rise when demand exceeds available seats and fall when demand weakens.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
-
This shift ignores local differences and weakens a decentralized model that has allowed rules to be tailored to the realities of each state.—
Cláudia Nunes,
The Orlando Sentinel,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Intrigued, the Duke secretly seduces Gilda, breaks her heart and destroys Rigoletto’s life.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
22 Mar. 2026
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The victim of his sacrifice is Gretchen, a virgin whom Faust seduces and abandons in his devilish reverie, and who kills their illegitimate child.—
Merve Emre,
New Yorker,
1 Dec. 2025
Verb
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The big differences between the labs probably reflect the fact that, as Italians like to say, the fish rots from the head.—
Caroline Mimbs Nyce,
New Yorker,
10 Feb. 2026
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Bacterial plant diseases include speck (a winter-surviving infection that attacks tomatoes), canker (which damages fruit trees including those producing apples and peaches), and blight (which rots melons, cucumbers, pumpkins, squash, peppers, tomatoes, eggplants, beans, and more).—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
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And as our credit deteriorates, borrowing gets more expensive, forcing us to borrow more to keep up, which worsens our credit further.—
Bill Conway,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Mar. 2026
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When hospitals operate under extreme and unpredictable demand spikes, patient safety deteriorates.—
Eugene Litvak,
STAT,
27 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Corrupts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/corrupts. Accessed 11 Apr. 2026.
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