corrupt

[kuh-ruhpt]

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.

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

/ 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

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)

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of corrupt¹

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; cor-

Word History and Origins

Origin of corrupt¹

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

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

He then admitted he had once described the CDC as the "most corrupt" agency in government, and strongly hinted he's not finished with his plans to shake up the organisation.

From BBC

The former prison officer had refused years earlier to be corrupted by Morgan.

From BBC

Treating requires a corrupt intent - it does not apply to ordinary hospitality, the commission adds.

From BBC

He pleaded guilty Monday to federal charges, raising the possibility he could help U.S. authorities investigate corrupt officials in Mexico.

From Los Angeles Times

The five were held on suspicion of offences including perverting the course of justice, misconduct in public office and corrupt or improper exercise of police powers, Scotland Yard said.

From BBC

Related Words

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

When To Use

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.