Thesaurus.com
Dictionary.com
Definitions

corrupt

[kuh-ruhpt] / kəˈrʌpt /






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:

In short, he claims a right to engage in the precise form of corrupt self-enrichment that has since the 14th century been the quintessential impeachable offense.

From Slate ● Oct. 30, 2026

Betancourt’s legal problems stemmed from his role in troubled Venezuelan energy projects during the corrupt rule of former President Hugo Chávez.

From Salon ● Oct. 23, 2026

Buchanan, 72, had been incarcerated since 2004 for kidnapping a convict who was harassing a corrupt prison guard.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026

The work is hardly a proselytizing screed against a corrupt economic system.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

Did the teachers really intend to ruin our health and corrupt our minds?

From "Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution" by Ji-li Jiang

The unseemly representation of necessary, lethal battle as some sort of videogame corrupts our national culture.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 9, 2026

“This is an act of pure cowardice for short-term gain that corrupts every journalistic value imaginable,” said USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism Gabriel Kahn.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 31, 2025

What we know about power is that it always corrupts.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 3, 2023

We wanted to explore the idea, and particularly with Season 2, that power corrupts.

From Salon ● Jul. 29, 2023

The English historian Lord Acton famously said, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

From "Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science" by Marc Aronson

While the word has been co-opted and corrupted by vision-board romantics and TikTok gurus, it’s still the key to making what we want happen.

From Salon ● Oct. 12, 2026

Dive into this short story about humans’ first contact with an alien who’s been corrupted by some very modern vices.

From Slate ● Sep. 23, 2026

Culture evolves, she says, and practices can be diluted or corrupted and she is showing what has happened to this one.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

He is remembered as a conciliator of the American rebels and the author of schemes to reform the corrupted and unrepresentative House of Commons.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026

“When we unite the kingdoms under one rule, we’ll make sure that never happens. We’ll make sure no one is ever again corrupted by the power of the Book.”

From "The Reader" by Traci Chee

Reasonable people will go in circles forever about whether specific cases are proof of the industry’s maturity or proof of its corrupting effect.

From Slate ● Apr. 28, 2026

Two and a half millennia later, democracies are still deeply concerned about dangerous ideas corrupting the youth.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 27, 2026

When troublemaker Arlene moves in across the street to live with her father, Maria falls helplessly under her corrupting influence.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 17, 2026

But the judge said Bembridge had a public role and had failed to carry out his duties on behalf of the King for a corrupting motive.

From BBC ● Feb. 20, 2026

The same thing happened to those emperors who came to power from being private citizens by corrupting the soldiers.

From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli


Vocabulary lists containing corrupt

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Dictionary.com's Learning Companion

Go beyond just looking up words.
Remember them forever with VocabTrainer.

Start training