rots; rotted; rotting
: to slowly decay or cause (something) to decay
The wood had rotted away.
The apples were left to rot.
the smell of rotting garbage
—often used figurativelyHe was left to rot in jail. [=he was left in jail for a very long time]
I hope he rots in hell!
Eating too much candy can rot your teeth.
—sometimes used figurativelyToo much TV will rot your brain.
1
: the process of rotting or the condition that results when something rots
They found a lot of rot in the house's roof.
—often used figurativelymoral rot
(chiefly Brit) The rot set in [=things started getting really bad] when the factory closed down.
(Brit) The team stopped the rot [=stopped things from getting worse] with a 5-0 win last night.
2
informal + somewhat old-fashioned
: foolish words or ideas : nonsense
That's a lot of rot!
all that rot
Cite this Entry
“Rot.” Merriam-Webster.com Simple Definition, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/simple/rot. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.
Copy Citation
