From Middle English corrupten, derived from Latin corruptus, past participle of corrumpō, from com- ("together") + rumpō ("to break in pieces").

• IPA: /kəˈɹʌpt/

corrupt

1. Willing to act dishonestly for personal gain; accepting bribes.
2. In a depraved state; debased; perverted; morally degenerate; weak in morals.

   The government here is corrupt, so we'll emigrate to escape them.

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC ↗, Genesis 6:11 ↗:

     The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.

   • 1613 (date written), William Shakespeare, [John Fletcher], “The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC ↗, [Act V, scene i]:

     At what ease
     Might corrupt minds procure knaves as corrupt
     To swear against you.

3. Abounding in errors; not genuine or correct; in an invalid state.

   The text of the manuscript is corrupt.

   It turned out that the program was corrupt - that's why it wouldn't open.

4. In a putrid state; spoiled; tainted; vitiated; unsound.
   • 1603, Richard Knolles, The Generall Historie of the Turkes, […], London: […] Adam Islip, →OCLC ↗:

     with such corrupt and pestilent bread to feed them.

• corrupted

• French: corrompu, dévoyé
• German: korrupt
• Italian: corrotto
• Portuguese: corrupto
• Russian: коррумпи́рованный
• Spanish: corrupto

• Russian: испо́рченный
• Spanish: corrupto

corrupt (corrupts, present participle corrupting; simple past and past participle corrupted)

1. (transitive) To make corrupt; to change from good to bad; to draw away from the right path; to deprave; to pervert.

   Don't you dare corrupt my son with those disgusting pictures!

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC ↗, Genesis 6:12 ↗:

     And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.

2. (archaic, intransitive) To become putrid, tainted, or otherwise impure; to putrefy; to rot.
   • 1627 (indicated as 1626), Francis [Bacon], “VIII. Century.”, in Sylua Syluarum: Or A Naturall Historie. In Ten Centuries. […], London: […] William Rawley […]; [p]rinted by J[ohn] H[aviland] for William Lee […], →OCLC ↗:

     he entrails, which are the parts aptest to corrupt

3. (transitive) To introduce errors; to place into an invalid state.

   Unplugging a flash drive without dismounting it first can corrupt the data stored on the drive.

4. To debase or make impure by alterations or additions; to falsify.

   to corrupt language, or a holy text

   to corrupt a book

5. To waste, spoil, or consume; to make worthless.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC ↗, Matthew 6:19 ↗:

     Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt.

• French: corrompre
• German: verderben, korrumpieren
• Italian: corrompere
• Portuguese: corromper
• Russian: разлагать
• Spanish: corromper

• corruptible
• corruption
• incorruptible