How to Use corrupt in a Sentence

corrupt

1 of 2 verb
Definition of corruptnext
Synonyms for corruptnext
  • The file has been corrupted and no longer works properly.
  • Their idealism has been corrupted by cynicism.
  • Like many grand ideals, there are always those who corrupt them.
    — Sam Bahour, Washington Post, 3 June 2021
  • These people, corrupted by the system, didn’t ‘choose’ to be bad.
    — Marta Balaga, Variety, 25 Oct. 2023
  • And Smoot didn’t stop there, going on to predict that the book might even corrupt the morals of his colleagues in the Senate — the horror!
    — Andy Meek, BGR, 24 Nov. 2022
  • This is a great safety net against sudden movements that can cause the device to eject, which in turn, could corrupt your files.
    — NBC News, 26 Mar. 2021
  • Its inhabitants mine the kyber crystals used in lightsabers, which have been corrupted by the Sith of the Dark Side.
    — Ryan Lenora Brown, The Christian Science Monitor, 7 June 2023
  • Part of how Rafal has been able to corrupt the system is by making Good all about the superficial.
    — Olivia Truffaut-Wong, refinery29.com, 20 Oct. 2022
  • The system runs on money and money corrupts most politicians.
    — Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Feb. 2024
  • And, as Texans should know only too well, power can corrupt.
    — Charles C. W. Cooke, National Review, 5 May 2021
  • If Socrates were still around (Letters, Nov. 3), he wouldn’t be canceled for impiety and corrupting the youth.
    — Stephen Borkowski, WSJ, 7 Nov. 2023
  • Leaving it powered on can corrupt your files or cause damage to your SSD or console.
    — Hunter Fenollol, Popular Mechanics, 6 Mar. 2023
  • This is the type of software that can corrupt your laptop or desktop computer.
    — Lance Eliot, Forbes, 3 Jan. 2023
  • Money corrupts—which, duh—but the Epstein episode tells an even bigger story.
    — Wired, 15 Sep. 2019
  • Exposure to the wrong words is corrupting our children, who aren’t even learning how to decipher the right ones.
    — A.o. Scott, New York Times, 21 June 2023
  • That left linebacker Brandon Smith still in position to corrupt the play.
    — Tim Bielik, cleveland, 7 Nov. 2020
  • Microsoft says it’s planning to fix a bizarre Windows 10 bug that could corrupt a hard drive just by looking at an icon.
    — Tom Warren, The Verge, 15 Jan. 2021
  • The left has to do things like try to corrupt the greatest law enforcement institution the world has ever known.
    — Fox News, 14 Sep. 2018
  • Teams took the tool and immediately set to work corrupting it.
    — Dallas News, 17 Jan. 2020
  • Clean’s adversaries are first a group of Black men who want to corrupt Dianda, which motivates Clean to take his trusty wrench to their noggins.
    — Nick Schager, Variety, 29 Aug. 2021
  • These are the people who Trump would have to rely on to corrupt the election, but their actions point to the opposite: integrity.
    — Noah Millman, TheWeek, 4 Nov. 2020
  • Fake video and audio might once again be poised to corrupt the most basic ways in which people process reality—or what’s left of it.
    — Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 20 Dec. 2022
  • Power, the kind that corrupts absolutely, is the silent villain of the series; however, Waltz’s Patoff is the conduit.
    — Iman Milner, Rolling Stone, 19 Feb. 2023
  • Power can corrupt certain police; certain people do not need to wear a badge.
    — Dallas News, 14 Dec. 2022
  • Power could fall into your lap at any moment -- but power can corrupt those who aren't careful.
    — Chicago Tribune, 3 Aug. 2022
  • This is at the heart of being able to produce perfect, identical copies of an input, even after the input has been corrupted with noise.
    — Quanta Magazine, 12 Sep. 2023
  • Scientists’ lust for fame, glory and money can corrupt them.
    — John Horgan, Scientific American, 19 Mar. 2021
  • Long before the pinwheel symbol was corrupted by the Nazis to become the swastika, many ancient cultures saw it as a symbol of life, luck and well-being.
    — Glenn Dixon, Smithsonian, 6 July 2018
  • On top of that, the Darkhold has had time to corrupt her, implanting the false idea that her children are in danger in a different reality.
    — Chris Smith, BGR, 10 May 2022
  • Military patrols assigned to destroy crop fields can easily get corrupted by drug money.
    — Alma Guillermoprieto, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024
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corrupt

2 of 2 adjective
  • The country's justice system is riddled with corrupt judges who accept bribes.
  • Some commenters took this as proof the case against Trump was corrupt.
    — Chris Mueller, USA TODAY, 2 Apr. 2024
  • He was known to be one of the corrupt officers who shook people down.
    — Nathan Thrall, Curbed, 25 Oct. 2023
  • Under his rule, the country was known for being among the most corrupt in Africa.
    — Michael Birnbaum, Washington Post, 27 Jan. 2024
  • The source of the funds was a corrupt foreigner, in some cases likely a tool of a foreign state.
    — The Editors, National Review, 17 May 2023
  • Musk tried to brand blue checkmarks as elitist and corrupt.
    — Scott Nover, Quartz, 21 Apr. 2023
  • Bobby Coyne must do to pierce Southie’s paranoid and corrupt ecosystem of silence.
    — Tod Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2023
  • The villain of the real-life story and film isn’t just corrupt Soviet politicians.
    — Gene Park, Washington Post, 31 Mar. 2023
  • You’re not supposed to root for these murderesses, their corrupt lawyer, or the tabloid girl reporter.
    — Vulture, 31 Mar. 2023
  • Many furious Americans claimed that Ford had been part of a corrupt deal.
    — Julian Zelizer, CBS News, 6 Aug. 2023
  • The British blamed the Chinese for being corrupt and mentally feeble.
    — Arun A.k., Los Angeles Times, 12 Feb. 2024
  • Maybe, their computer gets infected with a virus and the data is corrupt.
    — Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press, 12 Mar. 2024
  • Regardless of whether or to what degree Benjamin is corrupt, Hochul’s poor judgment cost the state and her party.
    — Raina Lipsitz, The New Republic, 1 May 2023
  • But Conteh says those keep changing - often because of corrupt or opaque deals.
    — David McKenzie, CNN, 2 Feb. 2024
  • On the other hand, some conduct that is corrupt is patently criminal.
    — Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review, 16 Dec. 2023
  • At any rate, the local chocolate cartel is determined to freeze Willy out, with the help of a corrupt constable (Keegan-Michael Key).
    — Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, 15 Dec. 2023
  • Biden is certainly seen as much more too old than Trump is, but Trump is seen as more corrupt and doesn't have the right temperament to be president.
    — Laura Schulte, Journal Sentinel, 1 Apr. 2024
  • The actor received an Emmy nomination in 1999 for his work as corrupt cop Det.
    — Andrew Walsh, EW.com, 29 Feb. 2024
  • The government, in turn, portrays Mr. Khan as a corrupt trickster who has employed legal maneuvers to stay out of prison.
    — Riazat Butt and Munir Ahmed, The Christian Science Monitor, 7 Aug. 2023
  • Among the allegations made was one that said the company is controlled by corrupt dictators out of Venezuela.
    — Stephen Battaglio, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2024
  • There are millions of people around the world who are not allowed to vote, or whose elections are so corrupt and farcical that voting is pointless.
    — Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 14 Oct. 2023
  • And yet, Ukraine still is seen as a corrupt nation by many Western business executives.
    — James P. Moore Jr., Fortune Europe, 22 Feb. 2024
  • She has been exiled since 2009 due to her reporting on corrupt officials.
    — Sarah Baniak, ABC News, 19 Sep. 2023
  • On his campaign website, Kim laments that 84% of New Jersey residents believe the state's politicians are corrupt.
    — Jenny Goldsberry, Washington Examiner, 11 Nov. 2023
  • Vigilante groups took up arms and notched a number of victories, succeeding where the state had proven inept or corrupt.
    — Alexander Sammon, Harper's Magazine, 16 Oct. 2023
  • This was a mass act of corrupt obeisance to a serial liar — and now that same outfit is playing a leading role in winnowing the GOP primary field.
    — Erik Wemple, Washington Post, 22 June 2023
  • On the other hand, 51% reported Trump and his family were also corrupt.
    — Jenny Goldsberry, Washington Examiner, 21 Sep. 2023
  • So the residents hold a meeting and move toward a decision that’s based on pure survival, and also on the kind of class privilege that the movies have long geared us to reject as corrupt.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 11 Nov. 2023
  • The authority is widely distrusted by most Palestinians and seen as corrupt by foes and some friends alike.
    — Raja Khalidi, Foreign Affairs, 19 Mar. 2024
  • After years of backing corrupt and undemocratic leaders, the U.S. government has a chance to back Haitians promoting democracy and the rule of law.
    — Pierre Esperance, Foreign Affairs, 2 Apr. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'corrupt.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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