rot

1 of 2

verb

ˈrät

rotted; rotting

Synonyms of rot next

intransitive verb

: to undergo decomposition from the action of bacteria or fungi

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

: to go to ruin : deteriorate

: to become morally corrupt : degenerate

transitive verb

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

rot

2 of 2

noun

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

: something rotten or rotting

archaic : a wasting putrescent disease

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

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

: nonsense

—often used interjectionally

Choose the Right Synonym for rot

decay, decompose, rot, putrefy, spoil mean to undergo destructive dissolution.

decay implies a slow change from a state of soundness or perfection.

a decaying mansion

decompose stresses a breaking down by chemical change and when applied to organic matter a corruption.

the strong odor of decomposing vegetation

rot is a close synonym of decompose and often connotes foulness.

fruit was left to rot in warehouses

putrefy implies the rotting of animal matter and offensiveness to sight and smell.

corpses putrefying on the battlefield

spoil applies chiefly to the decomposition of foods.

keep the ham from spoiling

Example Sentences

Verb The wood had rotted away. The apples were left to rot. the smell of rotting garbage Eating too much candy can rot your teeth. Noun They found a lot of rot in the house's roof. That's a lot of rot! See More

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Old wood in the centers of trees may rot away, erasing years of history. —

Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 3 May 2023 The experts at Orkin confirm that fruit flies are attracted to ripe, rotting, and decayed fruit and produce. —

Kelly Allen, House Beautiful, 19 Apr. 2023 The placemats are made from rosewood, which is a particularly distinctive type of hardwood that is naturally resistant to mold and rot. —

Michelle Love, Better Homes & Gardens, 13 Apr. 2023 However, xylazine is associated with severe soft-tissue wounds and necrosis – sometimes described as rotting skin – that can lead to amputation. —

Janelle Chavez, CNN, 29 Mar. 2023 Millions of rotting fish clogging up a river in the Australian outback. —

Rachel Pannett, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2023 Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984) depicts an Earth slowly rotting due to apocalyptic war, while 1997’s Princess Mononoke details how war is a byproduct of human hubris. —

Ryan Gaur, Rolling Stone, 9 Mar. 2023 In our generation, there has been deep fear that any exposure to video games will rot kids' brains. —

Morgan Simon, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2023 Be sure not to overwater; too much water will rot the roots. —

Nicole Sours Larson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Jan. 2023

Noun

That was related to long-term wood rot and leaks, Noffsinger said. —

Alex Demarban, Anchorage Daily News, 11 Apr. 2023 Our experts appreciate the durability of this set, which is made with dense southern yellow pine and treated with Sherwin Williams water-repellent stain, adding extra protection from rot and insects. —

Alissa Schulman, Good Housekeeping, 15 Feb. 2023 Blanchett is mesmerizing as the genius Leonard Bernstein mentee Lydia Tár, who’s preparing to lead the Berlin Philharmonic as a slow rot of scandal pursues her into even her most sacred rehearsal spaces. —

Lauren Puckett-pope, ELLE, 10 Jan. 2023 An intellectual giant and rock of moral certitude who had spent a lifetime defending the faith from outside forces, Pope Benedict would ultimately see his tenure as pope undone in large part by a rot within. —

Jacqueline L. Salmon, Washington Post, 31 Dec. 2022 Recurrent eruptions of violence reawakened memories of the killings of 1947—its unfinished business, the rot in the wound. —

Parul Sehgal, The New Yorker, 26 Dec. 2022 Each will pledge to remain outside the EU and its economic zone; to stay hawkish in their support for Ukraine; and to revisit the Northern Ireland protocol that is the rot underlying Britain’s troubled relationship with Europe. —

Tom Mctague, The Atlantic, 6 June 2022 There’s a rot at the core of the Republican Party, and neither the party nor the country will heal until it’s excised. —

Los Angeles Times, 21 Apr. 2022 Matteo Garbelotto, a forest pathologist at the University of California Berkeley, told the station that said such rot is becoming increasingly common in the state’s overgrown forests, as a drought exacerbated by climate change pushes dense trees to compete with one another for water. —

NBC News, 5 Jan. 2022 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rot.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.