Inklingo
Dictionary

corromper

ko-rrohm-PEHRko.romˈpeɾ

“corromper” means “to corrupt” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:

to corruptB2Verb

to make someone act dishonestly

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to rotC1Verb

organic matter decaying

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to corruptAlso: to bribe

VerbB2regular er
A hand secretly passing a small bag of gold coins to another hand in the shadows.
gerundcorrompiendo
past Participlecorrompido
infinitivecorromper

📝 In Action

El empresario intentó corromper al juez con una gran suma de dinero.

B2

The businessman tried to bribe the judge with a large sum of money.

Muchos temen que el poder absoluto corrompa a los líderes.

B2

Many fear that absolute power corrupts leaders.

Es fácil corromperse cuando no hay vigilancia.

C1

It is easy to become corrupt when there is no supervision.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • sobornar (to bribe)
  • pervertir (to pervert)

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • corromper a un funcionario – to corrupt an official
  • dejarse corromper – to allow oneself to be corrupted

Idioms & Expressions

  • corromper el orden – to disrupt the established order or harmony

to rotAlso: to spoil

VerbC1regular erformal
A brown, shriveled apple with a small green worm peeking out.
gerundcorrompiendo
past Participlecorrompido
infinitivecorromper

📝 In Action

El calor extremo hizo que la carne se corrompiera en pocas horas.

C1

The extreme heat caused the meat to rot in a few hours.

El agua del pozo se corrompió por falta de circulación.

C1

The well water became stagnant and spoiled due to lack of circulation.

Sentimos un olor a materia corrompida.

C2

We smelled the scent of decaying matter.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Antonyms

  • conservar (to preserve)
  • sanear (to clean up/rehabilitate)

Common Collocations

  • agua corrompida – stagnant/foul water
  • aire corrompido – foul air

Subjunctive

Imperfect Subjunctive

yocorrompiera
túcorrompieras
él/ella/ustedcorrompiera
nosotroscorrompiéramos
vosotroscorrompierais
ellos/ellas/ustedescorrompieran

Present Subjunctive

yocorrompa
túcorrompas
él/ella/ustedcorrompa
nosotroscorrompamos
vosotroscorrompáis
ellos/ellas/ustedescorrompan

Indicative

Preterite

yocorrompí
túcorrompiste
él/ella/ustedcorrompió
nosotroscorrompimos
vosotroscorrompisteis
ellos/ellas/ustedescorrompieron

Imperfect

yocorrompía
túcorrompías
él/ella/ustedcorrompía
nosotroscorrompíamos
vosotroscorrompíais
ellos/ellas/ustedescorrompían

Present

yocorrompo
túcorrompes
él/ella/ustedcorrompe
nosotroscorrompemos
vosotroscorrompéis
ellos/ellas/ustedescorrompen
View All Tenses & Moods →

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "corromper" in Spanish:

to bribeto corruptto rotto spoil

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: corromper

Question 1 of 3

Which sentence uses 'corromper' to mean bribery?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family
corrupción(corruption) — Noun
corrupto(corrupt) — Adjective
corruptible(corruptible) — Adjective
🎵 Rhymes
rompercomerser
📚 Etymology

From Latin 'corrumpere', which comes from 'com-' (completely) and 'rumpere' (to break). So, it literally means to break something completely.

First recorded: 13th century

Cognates (Related words)

English: corruptFrench: corrompre

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is 'corromper' a regular verb?

Yes, it follows the standard pattern for verbs ending in -er, just like 'comer'.

What is the difference between 'corrompido' and 'corrupto'?

Think of 'corrompido' as the action (He has corrupted the file) and 'corrupto' as a description of a person (He is a corrupt man).

Can I use 'corromper' for computer files?

Yes! Just like in English, you can say 'un archivo corrompido' for a corrupted file.