Corruption Vocabulary

 bribery, extortion, fraud, embezzlement, nepotism, kickbacks, cronyism, collusion, graft, abuse, dishonesty, deceit, deception, malfeasance, misconduct, misappropriation, influence, manipulation, laundering, subornation, racketeering, bribing, exploitation, swindle, profiteering, venality, payoff, cover-up, scheme, racket, whitewash, forgery, malpractice, perjury, scamming, blackmail, manipulation, double-dealing, shady, underhanded, subterfuge, treachery, breach, manipulation, loophole, betrayal, counterfeit, peculation, pilferage, hush money, coercion, rigging, tampering, falsification, conspiracy, backhander, insidious, clandestine, unscrupulous, connivance, machination, shell game, two-faced, shady, unprincipled, surreptitious, shakedown, bribable, unlawful, criminal, illicit, immoral, unethical, subversive, covert, betrayal, malpractice, fraudulent, extortionate, unscrupulous, scam, subterfuge, deceive, rig, payola, dirty money, integrity, honesty, justice, equity, transparency, accountability, public trust, governance, civic duty, vigilance, reform, ethics, morality, uprightness, integrity, scrutiny, fairness, rectitude, probity, trustworthiness, fidelity, conscientiousness, principles, propriety, legality, incorruptibility, purity, righteousness, uprightness, virtue, candour, openness, honour, decency, honesty, transparency, diligence, respect, lawfulness, credibility, reliability, veracity, truthfulness.

Definitions and Sentence Examples:

1. Bribery: The act of giving or receiving something of value in exchange for some kind of influence or action.
• Chika was arrested for bribery after offering money to the official for a building permit.
2. Extortion: The practice of obtaining something, especially money, through force or threats.
• The gang was known for extortion, demanding protection money from local businesses.
3. Fraud: Wrongful or criminal deception intended to result in financial or personal gain.
• Ada was charged with fraud after falsifying financial statements to secure a loan.
4. Embezzlement: The theft or misappropriation of funds placed in one's trust or belonging to one's employer.
• Emeka was found guilty of embezzlement for siphoning money from the company’s accounts.
5. Nepotism: The practice among those with power or influence of favouring relatives or friends, especially by giving them jobs.
• The company's hiring practices were scrutinised for nepotism when multiple family members were employed.
6. Kickbacks: Payments made to someone who has facilitated a transaction or appointment, especially illicitly.
• The contractor was convicted of receiving kickbacks for awarding construction contracts.
7. Cronyism: The appointment of friends and associates to positions of authority, without proper regard to their qualifications.
• Allegations of cronyism emerged after the new manager hired several of his close friends.
8. Collusion: Secret or illegal cooperation or conspiracy, especially in order to cheat or deceive others.
• The bidding process was compromised due to collusion between the companies.
9. Graft: The use of one's job to gain profit illegally.
• The politician was removed from office due to his involvement in graft.
10. Abuse: The improper use of something or someone.
• The official faced charges for the abuse of his power in granting licences.
11. Dishonesty: Deceitfulness shown in someone's character or behaviour.
• Olu’s dishonesty was revealed when his lies about the financial report were uncovered.
12. Deceit: The action or practice of deceiving someone by concealing or misrepresenting the truth.
• The company was fined for deceit in its marketing practices.
13. Deception: The act of causing someone to accept as true or valid what is false or invalid.
• Kemi was disappointed by the deception in the sales pitch.
14. Malfeasance: Wrongdoing, especially by a public official.
• The mayor was impeached for malfeasance after misusing city funds.
15. Misconduct: Unacceptable or improper behaviour, especially by an employee or professional person.
• The teacher was dismissed for professional misconduct.
16. Misappropriation: The action of misappropriating something; embezzlement.
• The accountant was fired for the misappropriation of company funds.
17. Influence: The capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behaviour of someone or something.
• The CEO’s undue influence over the board led to the controversial decision.
18. Manipulation: The action of manipulating something in a skilful manner, often in a way that is unfair or unscrupulous.
• The data was subjected to manipulation to support the desired outcome.
19. Laundering: The concealment of the origins of illegally obtained money, typically by means of transfers involving foreign banks or legitimate businesses.
• The business was a front for money laundering operations.
20. Subornation: The crime of persuading someone to commit perjury.
• The witness was jailed for subornation after bribing someone to lie under oath.
21. Racketeering: Dishonest and fraudulent business dealings.
• The organisation was under investigation for racketeering and other illegal activities.
22. Bribing: The act of giving or receiving bribes.
• The candidate was accused of bribing voters to win the election.
23. Exploitation: The action or fact of treating someone unfairly in order to benefit from their work.
• The factory was closed down for the exploitation of its workers.
24. Swindle: A fraudulent scheme or action.
• The con artist’s swindle left many investors penniless.
25. Profiteering: The act of making an excessive or unfair profit, especially illegally or in a black market.
• During the crisis, there was rampant profiteering on essential goods.
26. Venality: The quality of being open to bribery or overly motivated by money.
• His venality made him unfit for the public office he held.
27. Payoff: A payment made to someone, especially as a bribe.
• The company faced legal action after it was discovered they had made a payoff to secure contracts.
28. Cover-up: An attempt to prevent people from discovering the truth about a serious mistake or crime.
• The scandal involved a high-level cover-up by government officials.
29. Scheme: A secret or underhanded plan; a plot.
• The scheme to defraud the investors was uncovered by the auditors.
30. Racket: An illegal or dishonest scheme for obtaining money.
• The police busted the gambling racket operating in the neighbourhood.
31. Whitewash: A deliberate attempt to conceal unpleasant or incriminating facts about a person or organisation.
• The report was criticised as a whitewash, failing to address the real issues.
32. Forgery: The action of forging a document, signature, banknote, or work of art.
• The signature on the cheque was determined to be a forgery.
33. Malpractice: Improper, illegal, or negligent professional activity or treatment.
• The doctor was sued for medical malpractice.
34. Perjury: The offence of wilfully telling an untruth in a court after having taken an oath or affirmation.
• The witness was convicted of perjury after lying on the stand.
35. Scamming: The action of swindling someone by means of a trick.
• Uche was caught scamming people out of their savings with a fake investment scheme.
36. Blackmail: The action of demanding money or another benefit from someone in return for not revealing compromising or damaging information about them.
• Tolu was arrested for blackmail after threatening to release private photos.
37. Double-dealing: Deceitful or dishonest behaviour.
• His double-dealing was exposed when the contracts were reviewed.
38. Shady: Of dubious character or honesty.
• The business deal seemed shady, with many unexplained details.
39. Underhanded: Acting or done in a secret or dishonest way.
• The underhanded tactics used to win the contract were later revealed.
40. Subterfuge: Deceit used in order to achieve one's goal.
• The company's use of subterfuge to avoid taxes was discovered by the authorities.