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corromper

ko-rrohm-PEHR/ko.romˈpeɾ/

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

to corrupt

Also: 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 rot

Also: 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

🔄 Conjugations

subjunctive

imperfect

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

present

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

indicative

preterite

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

imperfect

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

present

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

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "corromper" in Spanish:

to bribe→to corrupt→to rot→to 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▼
📚 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.