molder

1 of 2

verb

mold·​er ˈmōl-dər 

moldered; moldering ˈmōl-d(ə-)riŋ  ; molders

intransitive verb

: to crumble into particles : disintegrate, decay

molder

2 of 2

noun

mold·​er ˈmōl-dər 

plural molders

: one that molds something or someone

a molder of minds

an iron molder

… the house and home as both a reflection and a molder of the people who live there.

—Laurie Graham

especially : one that exerts a determining influence on an attitude or course of development

… seems to have slipped almost effortlessly into his newly acquired role as a molder of world events.

—Molly Moore

… key opinion molders in Congress and the U.S. media …

—Michel Oksenberg

Synonyms of molder

Verb

• decompose
• rot
• disintegrate
• decay
• mold

Examples of molder in a Sentence

Verb

leaves moldering in the compost pile

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Hedda wears bullet-like strands of pearls that choke her neck and a jade-colored gown that seems to molder into a festering, jealous shade of green. —Amy Nicholson, Twin Cities, 23 Oct. 2025

But then a fresh corpse turns up, as well as a long-moldering skeleton, and the club members are off and running. —Tom Gliatto, People.com, 27 Aug. 2025

Noun

Instead, the House provisions slapped together to please narrow constituencies in the lower chamber will start to molder under Senate scrutiny. —Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 2 May 2025

But the alternative — allowing art to molder, unseen, in private collections or languish in storage, is worse. —Max Lakin, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb

frequentative of mold entry 4

First Known Use

Verb

1531, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1599, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for molder

• bolder
• bowlder
• colder
• folder
• golder
• holder
• moulder
• older
• polder
• shoulder
• beholder
• bondholder

Kids Definition

molder

verb

mold·​er ˈmōl-dər 

moldered; moldering -d(ə-)riŋ 

: to crumble to bits by slow decay : decay