rot

¹rot

verb \ˈrät\

rot·tedrot·ting

Definition of ROT

intransitive verb

1

a : to undergo decomposition from the action of bacteria or fungi

b : to become unsound or weak (as from use or chemical action)

2

a : to go to ruin : deteriorate

b : to become morally corrupt : degenerate

transitive verb

: to cause to decompose or deteriorate with or as if with rot

Examples of ROT

1. The wood had rotted away.
2. The apples were left to rot.
3. the smell of rotting garbage
4. Eating too much candy can rot your teeth.

Origin of ROT

Middle English roten, from Old English rotian; akin to Old High German rōzzēn to rot

First Known Use: before 12th century

Related to ROT

Synonyms

atrophy, crumble, decay, decline, degenerate, descend, devolve, ebb, regress, retrograde, deteriorate, sink, worsen

Antonyms

ameliorate, improve, meliorate

Related Words

abate, de-escalate, diminish, downsize, dwindle, recede, wane; break down, corrupt, decompose, degrade, dilapidate, disintegrate, molder, putrefy; sour, spoil; lessen, lower, reduce; debilitate, undermine; droop, fail, fall, flag, lag, languish, run down, sag, slip, waste (away), weaken, wilt

Near Antonyms

better, upgrade; enhance, enrich, fortify, heighten, intensify, strengthen; advance, develop, march, proceed, progress

See Synonym Discussion at decay

Rhymes with ROT

aught, baht, blot, bot, clot, cot, dot, ghat, grot, hot, jot, khat, knot, kyat, lot, lotte, Mott, motte, naught, not, plot, pot, scot, Scot, shot, skat, slot, snot, sot, spot, squat, stot, swat, swot, tot, trot, watt, Watt, what, wot, yacht

²rot

noun

Definition of ROT

1

a : the process of rotting : the state of being rotten : decay

b : something rotten or rotting

2

a archaic : a wasting putrescent disease

b : any of several parasitic diseases especially of sheep marked by necrosis and wasting

c : plant disease marked by breakdown of tissues and caused especially by fungi or bacteria

3

: nonsense —often used interjectionally

Examples of ROT

1. They found a lot of rot in the house's roof.
2. That's a lot of rot!

First Known Use of ROT

14th century

Related to ROT

Synonyms

applesauce [slang], balderdash, baloney (also boloney), beans, bilge, blah (also blah-blah), blarney, blather, blatherskite, blither, bosh, bull [slang], bunk, bunkum (or buncombe), claptrap, codswallop [British], crapola [slang], crock, drivel, drool, fiddle, fiddle-faddle, fiddlesticks, flannel [British], flapdoodle, folderol (also falderal), folly, foolishness, fudge, garbage, guff, hogwash, hokeypokey, hokum, hoodoo, hooey, horsefeathers [slang], humbug, humbuggery, jazz, malarkey (also malarky), moonshine, muck, nerts [slang], nuts, piffle, poppycock, punk, nonsense, rubbish, senselessness, silliness, slush, stupidity, taradiddle (or tarradiddle), tommyrot, tosh, trash, trumpery, twaddle

Related Words

absurdity, asininity, fatuity, foolery, idiocy, imbecility, inaneness, inanity, insanity, kookiness, lunacy; absurdness, craziness, madness, senselessness, witlessness; hoity-toity, monkey business, monkeyshine(s), shenanigan(s), tomfoolery; gas, hot air, rigmarole (also rigamarole); double-talk, greek, hocus-pocus

Near Antonyms

levelheadedness, rationality, reasonability, reasonableness, sensibleness; common sense, horse sense, sense; discernment, judgment (or judgement), wisdom