corrupt
gb/kɚˈʌpt/ us/kɚˈʌpt/
B1
English
~ 3200
korrupt, korrumpál, megront, megveszteget, sérült, megrongál
B1
1
korrupt
B2
Usage pattern:
[someone] is corrupt
The corrupt mayor accepted bribes from construction companies.
A korrupt polgármester kenőpénzt fogadott el építőipari cégektől.
Many citizens believe the system is corrupt and unfair.
Sok állampolgár úgy véli, hogy a rendszer korrupt és igazságtalan.
She refused to work with corrupt officials.
Learner examples
The police officer was corrupt.
A rendőr korrupt volt.
The company fired a corrupt manager.
A cég elbocsátott egy korrupt vezetőt.
People do not trust corrupt leaders.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'corrupt' with 'bankrupt'. 'Corrupt' is about dishonesty, not money problems.
Meaning
Dishonest for personal benefit
Collocations
corrupt official
|corrupt government
|corrupt practices
|deeply corrupt
|morally corrupt
Synonyms
dishonest (A general term for not telling the truth or cheating, without necessarily involving power or authority.)
Antonyms
honest (Describes someone who tells the truth and does not cheat or take bribes.)
Themes
politics
|law
|business
Definition
Doing bad or illegal things to get money or power.
Acting dishonestly and unethically, typically in return for money or personal advantage.
VERB
B2
2
Usage pattern:
to corrupt [someone/something]
The criminal tried to corrupt the police officer with expensive gifts.
A bűnöző drága ajándékokkal próbálta megvesztegetni a rendőrt.
Power can easily corrupt a person who is not careful.
A hatalom könnyen megronthatja az embert, ha nem vigyáz.
He was accused of attempting to corrupt jury members.
Learner examples
Money can corrupt people.
A pénz képes megrontani az embereket.
The man tried to corrupt the guard.
A férfi megpróbálta megvesztegetni az őrt.
Power can corrupt leaders.
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse 'corrupt' with 'interrupt'. They are unrelated in meaning.
Meaning
Make someone dishonest for benefit
Collocations
corrupt the youth
|corrupt a judge
|corrupt officials
Synonyms
bribe (Implies offering money or gifts to influence someone, often as part of corruption.)
Antonyms
reform (To improve someone's moral behavior instead of making it worse.)
Themes
politics
|law
|business
Definition
To make a person do bad or illegal things by giving them money or power.
To cause someone to become dishonest, usually by offering money, power, or other benefits.
B2
3
sérült
B1
Usage pattern:
[something] is corrupt
The document could not be opened because the file was corrupt.
A dokumentumot nem lehetett megnyitni, mert a fájl sérült volt.
Corrupt data caused the program to crash.
A sérült adatok miatt összeomlott a program.
He had to reinstall the software after it became corrupt.
Learner examples
The file is corrupt.
A fájl sérült.
I cannot open the corrupt photo.
Nem tudom megnyitni a sérült fotófájlt.
The program stopped because the data is corrupt.
Common mistake:
Learners may think 'corrupt' here means 'dishonest', but in technology it means broken or unusable.
Meaning
Damaged and unusable
Collocations
corrupt file
|corrupt data
|corrupt download
Synonyms
damaged (General term for physical or functional harm, not limited to data.)
Antonyms
intact (Describes something that is complete and undamaged.)
Themes
technology
Definition
Broken or changed so it does not work correctly, often used about computer files or data.
Damaged, altered, or containing errors so that something no longer works properly, especially data or files.
VERB
B2
4
megrongál
B1
Usage pattern:
to corrupt [data/file]
A virus can easily corrupt important files on your computer.
Egy vírus könnyen megrongálhat fontos fájlokat a számítógépeden.
The update corrupted several system files.
A frissítés több rendszerfájlt is megrongált.
Improper shutdowns may corrupt the database.
Learner examples
A virus can corrupt your files.
Egy vírus megrongálhatja a fájljaidat.
The power cut corrupted the game file.
Az áramszünet megrongálta a játékfájlt.
Do not turn off the computer; it may corrupt the data.
Meaning
Damage data or files
Collocations
corrupt a file
|corrupt system files
|corrupt memory
Synonyms
damage (General term for causing harm; in computing, 'corrupt' is more specific to errors in data.)
Antonyms
repair (To fix something so it works again.)
Themes
technology
Definition
To break computer files or data so they do not work right.
To cause errors in data or files so that they cannot be used properly.
Grammar
Dictionary form
corrupt
IPA
GB/kɚˈʌpt/
US/kɚˈʌpt/
Syllables & stress
cor - rupt (2 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (cor)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: corrupt
Verb
- Base: corrupt
- 3rd Person Singular: corrupts
- Present Participle: corrupting
- Past: corrupted
Word family
Forms
corrupts
verb
corrupting
verb
corrupted
verb
Core family
corruption
noun B2
corruptly
adverb
Related words
corruptible
adjective
corruptor
noun
Negative and opposite forms
incorruptible
adjective
Expressions
corrupt to the core
1/kɚˈʌpt tə ðə kˈɔɹ/
idiom
informal
Completely dishonest or immoral
Totally bad and dishonest in every way.
Examples
- The organization was corrupt to the core.
- Some believed the regime was corrupt to the core and could not be saved.
morally corrupt
1/mˈɔɹəli kɚˈʌpt/
fixed phrase
Having bad moral values
Having very bad ideas about what is right and wrong; doing bad things without feeling guilty.
Examples
- He was seen as morally corrupt after the scandal.
- Many felt the film's hero was morally corrupt despite his charm.
power corrupts
1/pˈaʊɚ kɚˈʌpts/
fixed phrase
Power makes people dishonest
If a person has too much power, they may start doing bad things.
Examples
- They say power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
- History shows that power corrupts even well-meaning leaders.