ENGLISH
REFERENCE

corrupt

v.
C1 Advanced Oxford US //kɝˈəpt// UK //kəɹˈʌpt// cor·rupt Archaic

v. to change something from good to bad, or to make someone act dishonestly. You also use it when a computer file breaks and will not open correctly.

v. to cause someone to act dishonestly or immorally, typically through bribery or undue influence; to alter digital data from its original state, rendering it unreadable.


SIMPLE

The virus will corrupt your files if you open that email.

CONTEXTUAL

The investigation revealed that the lobbyist tried to corrupt several officials by offering them expensive gifts.

COMPLEX

While the hardware remained intact, a sudden power surge managed to corrupt the database, forcing the engineering team to restore the system from an earlier backup.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Origin

From Middle English corrupten, derived from Latin corruptus, past participle of corrumpō (“to destroy, ruin, injure, spoil, corrupt, bribe”), from com- (“together”) + rumpō (“to break in pieces”).

Usage

The verb is transitive and requires a direct object, such as a person, a file, or a process.

Pitfall

The file was corrupted from a virus.The file was corrupted by a virus.When using the passive voice to describe the cause of corruption, use the preposition 'by' rather than 'from'.

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