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
Synonyms
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
The 55-year-old former head of the council’s Planning and Land Use Committee was sentenced in January for his role in a sprawling federal corruption case that involved him taking cash payouts and other bribes while in office.
—
Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2024
The handover also comes on the back of a series of scandals that have rattled the ruling party’s reputation for clean governance, including a minister who’s been charged with corruption and subsequently resigned.
—Philip J. Heijmans, Fortune Asia, 15 Apr. 2024
General Nguyen Van Thieu emerged as president following the coup, in a reign that was characterized by corruption.
—Nick Hilden, Washington Post, 14 Apr. 2024
Alex Diaz de la Portilla lost a re-election bid after his arrest on political corruption charges.
—Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 14 Apr. 2024
Meanwhile, despite the long campaign against graft, public opinion about corruption in Vietnam remains mixed, according to an annual survey built on interviews with nearly 20,000 people known as the Vietnam Provincial Governance and Public Administration Performance Index.
—Aniruddha Ghosal, Quartz, 12 Apr. 2024
Under Trong, Vietnam’s corruption’s ranking has steadily improved, leading to a glut of foreign direct investment.
—Charlie Campbell, TIME, 12 Apr. 2024
Her trial, begun on March 5 and ending earlier than planned, was one dramatic result of a campaign against corruption that the leader of the ruling Communist Party, Nguyen Phu Trong, has pledged for years to stamp out.
—Reuters, CNN, 11 Apr. 2024
The former office space housed the department, started by then-mayor Dave Bing, until it was shut down in 2012 amid allegations of corruption.
—Detroit Free Press, 11 Apr. 2024
Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2024
The handover also comes on the back of a series of scandals that have rattled the ruling party’s reputation for clean governance, including a minister who’s been charged with corruption and subsequently resigned.
—Philip J. Heijmans, Fortune Asia, 15 Apr. 2024
General Nguyen Van Thieu emerged as president following the coup, in a reign that was characterized by corruption.
—Nick Hilden, Washington Post, 14 Apr. 2024
Alex Diaz de la Portilla lost a re-election bid after his arrest on political corruption charges.
—Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 14 Apr. 2024
Meanwhile, despite the long campaign against graft, public opinion about corruption in Vietnam remains mixed, according to an annual survey built on interviews with nearly 20,000 people known as the Vietnam Provincial Governance and Public Administration Performance Index.
—Aniruddha Ghosal, Quartz, 12 Apr. 2024
Under Trong, Vietnam’s corruption’s ranking has steadily improved, leading to a glut of foreign direct investment.
—Charlie Campbell, TIME, 12 Apr. 2024
Her trial, begun on March 5 and ending earlier than planned, was one dramatic result of a campaign against corruption that the leader of the ruling Communist Party, Nguyen Phu Trong, has pledged for years to stamp out.
—Reuters, CNN, 11 Apr. 2024
The former office space housed the department, started by then-mayor Dave Bing, until it was shut down in 2012 amid allegations of corruption.
—Detroit Free Press, 11 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'corruption.' 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 corruption
Cite this Entry
“Corruption.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/corruption. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.
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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