corrupt

[ kuh-ruhpt ]

/ kəˈrʌpt /

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See synonyms for: corrupt / corrupted / corrupting / corruptive on Thesaurus.com

adjective

guilty of dishonest practices, as bribery; lacking integrity; crooked: a corrupt judge.

debased in character; depraved; perverted; wicked; evil: a corrupt society.

(of a text) made inferior by errors or alterations: Scholars compared the corrupt Alexandrian manuscript with a more reliable Greek translation.

infected; tainted.

Archaic. decayed; putrid.

Computers. relating to or designating computer code or stored data that contains errors: If the corrupt file won’t open, restore a previous save.

verb (used with object)

to destroy the integrity of; cause to be dishonest, disloyal, etc., especially by bribery.

to lower morally; pervert: to corrupt youth.

to alter (a language, text, etc.) for the worse; debase.

to mar; spoil.

to infect; taint.

Archaic. to make putrid or putrescent.

Computers. to introduce errors in (computer code or stored data) when saving, transmitting, or retrieving it: I downloaded some free modifications that corrupted the core program, so I can’t open it until I uninstall and reinstall the original version.

English Law. (in historical use) to subject (an attainted person) to corruption of blood.

verb (used without object)

to become corrupt.

OTHER WORDS FOR corrupt

1 false, trustworthy.

4 contaminated.

5 putrescent, rotten, decomposed, spoiled.

7 bribe, buy, suborn; demoralize.

8 debase, vitiate.

11 contaminate, pollute, defile.

12 putrefy.

See synonyms for corrupt on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of corrupt

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English verb from Latin corruptus “rotten, decayed, corrupted” (past participle of corrumpere ), equivalent to cor- intensive prefix + rup- (variant stem of rumpere “to break”) + -tus past participle suffix; see cor-

synonym study for corrupt

1. Corrupt, dishonest, venal apply to a person, especially in public office, who acts on mercenary motives, without regard to honor, right, or justice. A corrupt politician is one originally honest who has succumbed to temptation and begun questionable practices. A dishonest politician is one lacking native integrity. A venal politician is one so totally debased as to sell patronage.

OTHER WORDS FROM corrupt

cor·rupt·ed·ly, adverbcor·rupt·ed·ness, nouncor·rupt·er, cor·rup·tor, nouncor·rup·tive, adjective

cor·rup·tive·ly, adverbcor·rupt·ly, adverbcor·rupt·ness, nounnon·cor·rupt, adjectivenon·cor·rupt·ly, adverbnon·cor·rupt·ness, nounnon·cor·rupt·er, nounnon·cor·rup·tive, adjectiveo·ver·cor·rupt, verb, adjectiveo·ver·cor·rupt·ly, adverbpre·cor·rupt, verb (used with object)pre·cor·rupt·ly, adverbpre·cor·rupt·ness, nounpre·cor·rup·tive, adjectiveun·cor·rupt, adjectiveun·cor·rupt·ly, adverbun·cor·rupt·ness, nounun·cor·rupt·ed, adjectiveun·cor·rupt·ed·ly, adverbun·cor·rupt·ed·ness, nounun·cor·rupt·ing, adjectiveun·cor·rup·tive, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use corrupt in a sentence

In the 1890s, Congress cracked down on the last state-chartered lottery — the notoriously corrupt Louisiana State Lottery Company — and a number of states banned betting on horse racing, one of the only forms of wagering that remained legal.
Sports gambling could be the pandemic’s biggest winner|Jonathan D. Cohen|February 5, 2021|Washington Post
From there he goes on to speak of all the corrupt things done by Justinian and Theodora, as well as the many figures of their court.
What the QAnon of the 6th Century Teaches Us About Conspiracies|Roland Betancourt|February 3, 2021|Time
FireEye soon discovered the attackers had gained access through corrupted updates to the SolarWinds Orion network-monitoring software that it used.
The U.S. Spent $2.2 Million on a Cybersecurity System That Wasn’t Implemented — and Might Have Stopped a Major Hack|by Peter Elkind and Jack Gillum|February 2, 2021|ProPublica
When we say someone who steals, someone who is corrupt, is disgusting, that’s a little different from saying that someone who, say, burns the American flag is disgusting.
The Downside of Disgust (Ep. 448)|Stephen J. Dubner|January 21, 2021|Freakonomics

Kleptocrats and corrupt foreign officials did not need secret bank accounts in Switzerland.
A quietly passed law cracks down on shell companies to combat corruption|Rachel Schallom|January 10, 2021|Fortune
The colored Creoles, who are generally uneducated, speak the Spanish language much more corruptly than the whites.
Travels in Peru, on the Coast, in the Sierra, Across the Cordilleras and the Andes, into the Primeval Forests|J. J. von Tschudi
Treste, the trefoil leaf, or clover-grass (corruptly called Clubs) alludes to the husbandmen and peasants.
The Book of Curiosities|I. Platts
The metropolis of the kingdom is called Bagou, corruptly called Pegu, which name is likewise given to the kingdom.
A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels, Volume VI|Robert Kerr
It is so called by the French, because it comes to them from Japan, which they corruptly pronounce Sapan.
A Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures and Mines|Andrew Ure
No one could have been more discreet, more corruptly sagacious, more sunnily amiable, than this singular woman.
Miss Ravenel's conversion from secession to loyalty|J. W. de Forest

British Dictionary definitions for corrupt

corrupt

/ (kəˈrʌpt) /

adjective

lacking in integrity; open to or involving bribery or other dishonest practicesa corrupt official; corrupt practices in an election

morally depraved

putrid or rotten

contaminated; unclean

(of a text or manuscript) made meaningless or different in meaning from the original by scribal errors or alterations

(of computer programs or data) containing errors

verb

to become or cause to become dishonest or disloyal

to debase or become debased morally; deprave

(tr) to infect or contaminate; taint

(tr) to cause to become rotten

(tr) to alter (a text, manuscript, etc) from the original

(tr) computing to introduce errors into (data or a program)

Derived forms of corrupt

corrupter or corruptor, nouncorruptive, adjectivecorruptively, adverbcorruptly, adverb

corruptness, noun

Word Origin for corrupt

C14: from Latin corruptus spoiled, from corrumpere to ruin, literally: break to pieces, from rumpere to break

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

corrupt

OTHER WORDS FOR corrupt

Origin of corrupt

synonym study for corrupt

OTHER WORDS FROM corrupt

Words related to corrupt

How to use corrupt in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for corrupt

Derived forms of corrupt

Word Origin for corrupt