Corruption Terminology

noun a sum of money or other inducement offered or given in order to persuade or influence someone to do something, especially dishonestly

• The politician was caught accepting a bribe in exchange for favorable legislation.
• I heard that the cop took a bribe to let the criminal go free.
• The contractor tried to bribe the inspector to overlook the building code violations.
• Sometimes kindness can be seen as a bribe for someone's affection.

noun a sum of money paid to someone to keep them from revealing certain information or to remain silent

• The company paid hush money to the whistleblower to keep the information confidential.
• The celebrity offered hush money to the tabloid to prevent the story from being published.
• The politician tried to use hush money to cover up the scandal.
• Accepting hush money is like silencing your own voice in exchange for temporary peace.

noun a sum of money that is paid back to someone as a reward for making a purchase or achieving a certain level of sales

verb to give or receive a kickback

• The businessman was arrested for accepting a kickback in exchange for awarding a government contract.
• I heard that the company boss got a kickback for closing that deal.
• I can hook you up with some kickback if you help me out.
• After a long day at work, I like to relax and enjoy a kickback with friends.

noun a word that represents a person, place, thing, or idea

verb a word that expresses an action, occurrence, or state of being

preposition a word that shows the relationship between a noun (or pronoun) and other words in a sentence

article a word that specifies a noun as definite or indefinite

• It is not ethical for a public official to look the other way when faced with corruption.
• I saw my neighbor's dog running loose, but I decided to look the other way.
• When it comes to cheating in exams, some students just look the other way.
• She knew her friend was making a mistake, but she chose to look the other way and let her learn from it.

noun wealth or riches, especially when regarded with contempt or acquired dishonestly

• The businessman was accused of embezzling company funds for his own pelf.
• She's always looking for ways to increase her pelf.
• I heard he's involved in some shady dealings to boost his pelf.
• His obsession with pelf has blinded him to the true value of life.

noun a metaphorical source of financial support or benefit provided by the government or public funds

• The government officials were accused of corruption for feeding at the public trough.
• Those politicians are just lining their pockets at the public trough.
• I can't believe how many people are pigging out at the public trough.
• Some people seem to think the public trough is bottomless, but eventually it will run dry.

verb to manipulate or fix in a dishonest or unfair manner

adjective manipulated or fixed in a dishonest or unfair manner

• The investigation revealed that the election was rigged in favor of the incumbent candidate.
• I heard that the game was rigged from the start.
• They rigged the whole thing so their friend could win.
• Her emotions felt like a rigged game, always leading to disappointment.

noun the illegal or unethical practice of using one's influence in government or connections with powerful individuals to obtain favors or preferential treatment

• The businessman was charged with influence peddling in an attempt to secure government contracts.
• The politician was caught influence peddling to get special favors for his friends.
• I heard that company was involved in some shady influence peddling to get ahead in the market.
• The artist's use of bold colors and abstract shapes was a form of influence peddling in the art world.

noun A deal or agreement that is very favorable or advantageous, often involving special treatment or privileges for one party

• The company was accused of receiving a sweetheart deal from the government.
• I heard they got a sweetheart deal on their new car.
• They totally scored a sweetheart deal on that vacation package.
• She felt like she got a sweetheart deal when she found the perfect dress on sale.

noun the practice of seeking personal gain through corrupt or dishonest business dealings

• The investigation revealed evidence of jobbery within the government procurement process.
• The company was accused of jobbery for giving preferential treatment to certain employees.
• I heard there's a lot of jobbery going on in that department.
• The corrupt official was known for his jobbery, always finding ways to benefit personally from his position.

noun A person who seeks to profit from government tenders through corrupt or unethical means

• The government is cracking down on corrupt tenderpreneurs who exploit the system for personal gain.
• I heard that John is a tenderpreneur who always manages to win government contracts.
• Don't trust those tenderpreneurs, they're only in it for themselves.
• The tenderpreneur was like a wolf in sheep's clothing, manipulating the system for their own benefit.