corrupt

American  

[kuh-ruhpt] / kəˈrʌpt /

adjective

1. guilty of dishonest practices, as bribery; lacking integrity; crooked.

   a corrupt judge.

   Synonyms:

   trustworthy, false

2. debased in character; depraved; perverted; wicked; evil.

   a corrupt society.

3. (of a text) made inferior by errors or alterations.

   Scholars compared the corrupt Alexandrian manuscript with a more reliable Greek translation.

4. infected; tainted.

5. Archaic. decayed; putrid.

   Synonyms:

   spoiled, decomposed, rotten, putrescent

6. Computers. relating to or designating computer code or stored data that contains errors.

   If the corrupt file won’t open, restore a previous save.

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verb (used with object)

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

   Synonyms:

   demoralize, suborn, buy, bribe

2. to lower morally; pervert.

   to corrupt youth.

   Synonyms:

   vitiate, debase

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

4. to mar; spoil.

5. to infect; taint.

   Synonyms:

   defile, pollute, contaminate

6. Archaic. to make putrid or putrescent.

   Synonyms:

   putrefy

7. 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.

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

verb (used without object)

1. to become corrupt.

corrupt British  

/ kəˈrʌpt /

adjective

1. lacking in integrity; open to or involving bribery or other dishonest practices

   a corrupt official

   corrupt practices in an election

2. morally depraved

3. putrid or rotten

4. contaminated; unclean

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

6. (of computer programs or data) containing errors

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verb

1. to become or cause to become dishonest or disloyal

2. to debase or become debased morally; deprave

3. (tr) to infect or contaminate; taint

4. (tr) to cause to become rotten

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

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

Usage

What does corrupt mean? Corrupt is commonly used as an adjective to describe members of organizations or institutions who engage in illegal or otherwise dishonest practices to benefit themselves. It can also be used in this way to describe their actions or institutions that have a lot of this activity. Corrupt can also be used as verb meaning to destroy the integrity of someone or something or cause someone to be dishonest. The state of being corrupt is corruption. Both terms are 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. More generally, corrupt can be used as an adjective that means depraved, debased, or having been made worse in some way. It can also be used as a verb meaning to make someone or something depraved, debased, or worse in some way. More specifically, corrupt can mean to alter a word or text in a way that deviates from its original or intended form. Example: This isn’t just one or two corrupt officials. The whole organization is corrupt—bribes and kickbacks are their normal way of doing business.

Related Words

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 Word Forms

• corruptedly
  adverb
• corruptedness
  noun
• corrupter
  noun
• corruptive
  adjective
• corruptively
  adverb
• corruptly
  adverb
• corruptness
  noun
• corruptor
  noun
• noncorrupt
  adjective
• noncorrupter
  noun
• noncorruptive
  adjective
• noncorruptly
  adverb
• noncorruptness
  noun
• overcorrupt
  verb
• overcorruptly
  adverb
• precorrupt
  verb (used with object)
• precorruptive
  adjective
• precorruptly
  adverb
• precorruptness
  noun
• uncorrupt
  adjective
• uncorrupted
  adjective
• uncorruptedly
  adverb
• uncorruptedness
  noun
• uncorrupting
  adjective
• uncorruptive
  adjective
• uncorruptly
  adverb
• uncorruptness
  noun

Etymology

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-

Explanation

If someone or something is corrupt, they’re broken morally or in some other way. Corrupt people perform immoral or illegal acts for personal gain, without apology. Corrupt politicians take bribes and deny it. When you corrupt someone, you convince them to do something wrong or even illegal. If you talk your little brother into stealing cookies from the cookie jar, you're corrupting him. Something corrupt is rotten, spoiled, or out of commission, like a file that makes your computer crash. A corrupt person — a criminal, a crook, or a cookie thief — brings society down with immoral and dishonest behavior. Corrupt goes back to the Latin roots cor-, "altogether," and rumpere, "break."

Example Sentences

The topical, darkly funny, whip-smart series from Eric Kripke follows a band of vigilante misfits who fight to expose the all-powerful, corrupt conglomerate Vought International and its stable of villainous superheroes.

From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 2026

Charging corrupt public officials “has always been and remains a top priority” of the office, wrote spokesperson Lymarie Llovet-Ayala.

From Salon • May 6, 2026

It was a reaction to corporate abuses and corrupt governance and horrific things like child labor and environmental destruction.

From Slate • Apr. 17, 2026

He was asked about his relationship with a corrupt police officer he said he kept "warm as a contact".

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

Less than four years before, in November 1956, Castro and a force of eighty-one rebels had sailed from Mexico to Cuba, determined to retake their homeland from a corrupt dictator, Fulgencio Batista.

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin

Related Words

• bribe
• contaminate
• debase
• degrade
• demean
• demoralize
• harm
• impair
• misuse
• ruin
• subvert
• taint
• undermine
• violate
• warp