corruption
Americannoun
-
corruptions
plural
-
the act of corrupting or state of being corrupt.
- Antonyms:
- purity
-
moral perversion; depravity.
- Synonyms:
- immorality, dissolution
- Antonyms:
- purity
-
perversion of integrity.
-
corrupt or dishonest proceedings.
- Antonyms:
- honesty
-
debasement or alteration, as of language or a text.
-
a debased form of a word.
-
putrefactive decay; rottenness.
- Synonyms:
- contamination, pollution, foulness, putrescence, putrefaction, rot
-
any corrupting influence or agency.
-
Computers. the state of being compromised by errors in computer code or stored data, or an action that causes such errors.
The system crash was the result of previously undetected data corruption.
noun
-
the act of corrupting or state of being corrupt
-
moral perversion; depravity
-
dishonesty, esp bribery
-
putrefaction or decay
-
alteration, as of a manuscript
-
an altered form of a word
Usage
What does corruption mean? Corruption most commonly refers to a state in which members of organizations or institutions are engaging in illegal or otherwise dishonest practices to benefit themselves. The term is most often used in the context of such rulebreaking by people who are powerful or who are responsible for the well-being of others, such as politicians, government officials, and police officers. Corruption is a noun form of corrupt, which can be an adjective used to describe people who act in this way (or their actions), or a verb meaning to destroy the integrity of someone or something or cause someone to be dishonest. More generally, corruption can refer to the act or process of someone or something becoming corrupt, depraved, or debased. More specifically, corruption can refer to the alteration of a word or text in a way that deviates from its original or intended form. Example: The investigation revealed a long history of corruption within the agency that extends to its highest ranks.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of corruption
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English cor(r)upcio(u)n, from Middle French, from Latin corruptiōn-, stem of corruptiō; see origin at corrupt, -ion
Explanation
Corruption is dishonest action that destroys people's trust. News of corruption at your bank might make you close your account and invest your money somewhere else. The noun corruption comes from Latin — com, meaning "with, together," and rumpere, meaning "to break." Engaging in corruption can "break" or destroy someone's trustworthiness and good reputation with others. For example, news of corruption in the mayor's office might cause shock and lead to the election of a new mayor. When you corrupt something that is pure or honest, you take away those qualities. That's why "corruption of minors" is a serious offense in our legal system.
Vocabulary lists containing corruption
"The Crucible" -- Vocabulary from all 4 Acts
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Make a Break for It: Rupt
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"The Crucible" -- Vocabulary from Act 1
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
What they believed they found was corruption on a far more systematic scale.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
According to supporters, the need for charter changes was driven in part by fraud and corruption scandals at City Hall, including three council members charged with felonies between 2020 and 2023.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
For the rest of us, the corrosion of a 37,000-person-strong crimefighting force tasked with investigating everything from terrorism to corruption is arguably a threat to public safety.
From Slate ● Sep. 30, 2026
Anderson’s “Resident Evil” franchise — with all of its ruminations on identity in the tech age, artificially intelligent warfare, corruption and greed — certainly fits that bill.
From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026
In fact, the word algorithm was a corruption of al-Khowarizmi’s name.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
But this candid and absorbing memoir is also a stark reminder of the corruptions of power, the uncertainties of revolution and the frequent viciousness of human nature.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 24, 2026
The subtext plays out in how the town confronts the other corruptions in its midst.
From Salon ● Oct. 26, 2025
Tasila and the former president's widow, Esther, continue to face corruptions charges, which they deny.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2025
These four novellas address the seductions and corruptions of technology, the extremes of beauty and depravity in even the most ordinary life, and the workings of a universe we can never entirely understand.
From New York Times ● Apr. 30, 2020
It depicts the American Revolutionas a liberation movement, a clean break not just from English domination but also from the historic corruptions of European monarchy and aristocracy.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
