corrupted; corrupting; corrupts
1
a
: to change from good to bad in morals, manners, or actions
Officials were corrupted by greed.
was accused of corrupting the youth
also
: bribe
b
: to degrade with unsound principles or moral values
Some fear the merger will corrupt the competitive marketplace.
3
: to subject (a person) to corruption of blood
4
: to alter from the original or correct form or version
The file was corrupted.
1
a
: to become tainted or rotten
leaving the bodies to corrupt on the field
b
: to become morally debased
2
: to cause disintegration or ruin
1
a
: morally degenerate and perverted : depraved
b
: characterized by improper conduct (such as bribery or the selling of favors)
corrupt judges
3
: adulterated or debased by change from an original or correct condition
a corrupt version of the text
Synonyms
Verb
- break down
- decay
- decompose
- disintegrate
- fester
- foul
- mold
- molder
- perish [chiefly British]
- putrefy
- rot
- spoil
Adjective
Examples of corrupt in a Sentence
Verb
a politician corrupted by greed
music that corrupts the morals of children
corrupting the country's legal system
the corrupting influence of power
Their idealism has been corrupted by cynicism.
The file has been corrupted and no longer works properly.
a corrupted version of the ancient text
Adjective
The country's justice system is riddled with corrupt judges who accept bribes.
corrupt cops who sell drugs
the country's corrupt legal system
a corrupt version of the text
a corrupt computer file that no longer works properly
Recent Examples on the Web
Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2024
Realizing to which extent the society was corrupted and how things were handled.
—Marta Balaga, Variety, 8 Apr. 2024
Hackers can penetrate an update server to seed out their malware, or even break into the network where the software was developed to corrupt it at the source.
—Andy Greenberg and Matt Burgess, WIRED, 3 Apr. 2024
Nobody can vote for Mr. Sonko, who was barred from running after being convicted of defamation and of corrupting a minor, after a young massage parlor employee accused him of rape.
—Mady Camara, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2024
Their journey into darkness is a violent portrayal of unchecked ambition and the corrupting influence of power.
—David Catlin, The Enquirer, 6 Mar. 2024
The movie is a lark, not a hard-hitting statement about how mass media corrupts the soul.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2024
Olivers’s just another dastardly king en route to his castle, corrupted by excess.
—Raven Smith, Vogue, 3 Jan. 2024
Despite the fact that the show’s key arcs are simple and familiar things — the scholarship students will change St. Gilbert’s, but not if St. Gilbert’s doesn’t corrupt them first — the handling of time and character evolution in Boarders is bizarrely choppy and frequently inconsistent.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Mar. 2024
Stacey Barchenger, The Arizona Republic, 24 Apr. 2024
In Europe today, new political parties rise to prominence by portraying themselves as outsiders and mobilizing citizens to cast protest votes against corrupt political elites.
—Sarah Engler, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2024
Paul Williams, who wrote songs for the Carpenters and the Muppets, did the music and plays the corrupt pop mogul who owns The Paradise.
—Stephen Deusner, SPIN, 23 Apr. 2024
The installation by the U.S. and its allies of an acting prime minister widely seen by Haitians as both incompetent and corrupt sparked a shooting rebellion by an alliance of heavily armed criminal gangs that has left the country on the verge of political, economic and civil collapse.
—Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 21 Apr. 2024
His handwritten reports contained coordinates of heroin refineries and upcountry poppy farms, even rosters of corrupt police.
—Patrick Winn, Rolling Stone, 13 Apr. 2024
Woods spoke of corrupt cops and politicians across the country.
—Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2024
But his critics call him a devious populist who cut corrupt deals while in office and quashed dissenting voices within his party in attempts to consolidate power.
—Choe Sang-Hun, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2024
The federal officials in Mexico drove the evidence to a warehouse outside the city to keep it out of reach of any corrupt local police.
—Beth Warren, USA TODAY, 6 Apr. 2024
Verb
Lopez would play the titular role, a fantasy woman named Aurora created by Luis Molina, a gay hairdresser serving an eight-year sentence for allegedly corrupting a minor.
—Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2024
Realizing to which extent the society was corrupted and how things were handled.
—Marta Balaga, Variety, 8 Apr. 2024
Hackers can penetrate an update server to seed out their malware, or even break into the network where the software was developed to corrupt it at the source.
—Andy Greenberg and Matt Burgess, WIRED, 3 Apr. 2024
Nobody can vote for Mr. Sonko, who was barred from running after being convicted of defamation and of corrupting a minor, after a young massage parlor employee accused him of rape.
—Mady Camara, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2024
Their journey into darkness is a violent portrayal of unchecked ambition and the corrupting influence of power.
—David Catlin, The Enquirer, 6 Mar. 2024
The movie is a lark, not a hard-hitting statement about how mass media corrupts the soul.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2024
Olivers’s just another dastardly king en route to his castle, corrupted by excess.
—Raven Smith, Vogue, 3 Jan. 2024
Despite the fact that the show’s key arcs are simple and familiar things — the scholarship students will change St. Gilbert’s, but not if St. Gilbert’s doesn’t corrupt them first — the handling of time and character evolution in Boarders is bizarrely choppy and frequently inconsistent.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Mar. 2024
Adjective
Willis’ affair with a special prosecutor working the case drew controversy and a fresh legal battle, giving Trump and others ammunition to amplify claims the prosecution was corrupt.
—Stacey Barchenger, The Arizona Republic, 24 Apr. 2024
In Europe today, new political parties rise to prominence by portraying themselves as outsiders and mobilizing citizens to cast protest votes against corrupt political elites.
—Sarah Engler, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2024
Paul Williams, who wrote songs for the Carpenters and the Muppets, did the music and plays the corrupt pop mogul who owns The Paradise.
—Stephen Deusner, SPIN, 23 Apr. 2024
The installation by the U.S. and its allies of an acting prime minister widely seen by Haitians as both incompetent and corrupt sparked a shooting rebellion by an alliance of heavily armed criminal gangs that has left the country on the verge of political, economic and civil collapse.
—Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 21 Apr. 2024
His handwritten reports contained coordinates of heroin refineries and upcountry poppy farms, even rosters of corrupt police.
—Patrick Winn, Rolling Stone, 13 Apr. 2024
Woods spoke of corrupt cops and politicians across the country.
—Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2024
But his critics call him a devious populist who cut corrupt deals while in office and quashed dissenting voices within his party in attempts to consolidate power.
—Choe Sang-Hun, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2024
The federal officials in Mexico drove the evidence to a warehouse outside the city to keep it out of reach of any corrupt local police.
—Beth Warren, USA TODAY, 6 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'corrupt.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near corrupt
Cite this Entry
“Corrupt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/corrupt. Accessed 1 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
corrupt
1 of 2 verb
cor·rupt
kə-ˈrəpt 
1
: to change from good to bad in morals, manners, or actions
especially
: to influence a public official improperly
3
: to change from the original or correct form or version
corrupt a text
4
: to become debased
corrupt
2 of 2 adjective1
: morally corrupted : depraved
2
: characterized by improper conduct
a corrupt government
Legal Definition
corrupt
1 of 2 adjective
cor·rupt
kə-ˈrəpt
: having an unlawful or evil motive
especially
: characterized by improper and usually unlawful conduct intended to secure a benefit for oneself or another (as by taking or giving bribes)
corruptly
adjective
corruptness
noun
corrupt
2 of 2 transitive verb1
: to change from good to bad in principles or moral values
corrupting a minor
2
: to subject (a person) to corruption of blood
corruptibly
adverb
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