corrupt

[ kuh-ruhpt ]

/ kəˈrʌpt /

Save This Word!

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

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

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

It makes me feel vulnerable that they’re willing to go along with someone with such corrupt morals.
“I think this is a wake-up call”: Seeing a familiar face in the Capitol riot|Luke Winkie|January 15, 2021|Vox
Others registered in the state have been tied to corrupt military officers in Venezuela, drug trafficking guerrillas from Colombia and former Zimbabwean dictator Robert Mugabe.
A quietly passed law cracks down on shell companies to combat corruption|Rachel Schallom|January 10, 2021|Fortune
If Cruz and his Republican allies were truly interested in making elections fairer and more democratic, they would avoid using one of the most corrupt and fraudulent eras in American politics as a precedent.
Ted Cruz’s proposed election commission can only hurt the country|Stuart MacKay|January 6, 2021|Washington Post
Some called for police to stand back, while others called for violence to be exacted against “corrupt” police.
D.C. is becoming a protest battleground. In a polarized nation, experts say that’s unlikely to change.|Marissa Lang|January 1, 2021|Washington Post

It is infuriating that American Airlines is in effect rewarding Boeing for the corrupt and catastrophic process that led to the Max.
Boeing 737 Max flies again, carrying paying passengers from New York to Miami|kdunn6|December 30, 2020|Fortune
They tend to show that Plato did not seek (as many of his commentators do) to depict Protagoras as a corruptor of the public mind.
Plato and the Other Companions of Sokrates, 3rd ed. Volume II (of 4)|George Grote
Steffens, Lincoln, on the wealthy business man as a corruptor of municipal politics, 289.
The Spirit of American Government|J. Allen Smith
Immorality, in being, by his doctrines and instructions, a "corruptor of youth."
On Liberty|John Stuart Mill
But if he is judged incorruptible how will he prove that I am corruptor?
Beaumarchais and the War of American Independence Vol. 1 of 2|Elizabeth S. Kite
Nemo malus felix, minime corruptor—No bad man is happy, least of all a seducer.
Dictionary of Quotations from Ancient and Modern, English and Foreign Sources|James Wood

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