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
In Church’s day, that separation depended on promoting a robust idea of American innocence over Europe’s enfeebling corruption.
—
Sebastian Smee, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
Suu Kyi was sentenced to 27 years in prison on charges of corruption and electoral fraud, which have been widely condemned as unfair.
—Lorcan Lovett, NPR, 3 May 2026
Our party cannot ignore corruption for political convenience, as Congress has done for decades.
—Jillian Gilchrest, Hartford Courant, 3 May 2026
He was arrested in Chile in 2005, extradited to Peru in 2007, and later convicted and sentenced to 25 years in prison for human rights abuses, in addition to other yearslong sentences for corruption.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for corruption
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Sebastian Smee, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
Suu Kyi was sentenced to 27 years in prison on charges of corruption and electoral fraud, which have been widely condemned as unfair.
—Lorcan Lovett, NPR, 3 May 2026
Our party cannot ignore corruption for political convenience, as Congress has done for decades.
—Jillian Gilchrest, Hartford Courant, 3 May 2026
He was arrested in Chile in 2005, extradited to Peru in 2007, and later convicted and sentenced to 25 years in prison for human rights abuses, in addition to other yearslong sentences for corruption.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 May 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 5 May. 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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