as in to disintegrate
to go through decomposition
detectives needed to know how long it would take a corpse to decompose to that advanced state
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in decay
the process by which dead organic matter separates into simpler substances
the unmistakable smell of decomposition led us to some fruit that had fallen behind the refrigerator
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of decompose
Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 25 Sep. 2025
Police later sawed open the floor to expose Grimes’ decomposing 135-pound body.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Sep. 2025
Veronica Fulton, NBC news, 21 Sep. 2025
Authorities told the outlets that the body was in a state of decomposition.
—Edward Segarra, USA Today, 20 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for decompose
Verb
The first was that the obstacles were decomposed into cuboids.
—Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 25 Sep. 2025
Police later sawed open the floor to expose Grimes’ decomposing 135-pound body.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Sep. 2025
Noun
The website states that the body was located on Wednesday, October 4, 1978, and the remains were unrecognizable due to decomposition.
—Veronica Fulton, NBC news, 21 Sep. 2025
Authorities told the outlets that the body was in a state of decomposition.
—Edward Segarra, USA Today, 20 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for decompose
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decompose
Verb
-
Before flight 10, Starship's most recent demonstration came on May 27, when the spacecraft spun out of control roughly halfway through its flight and disintegrated in a fireball.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
10 Oct. 2025
-
When breaking down what the heck happened over the last four months, the first item on the list is the way New York’s starting rotation disintegrated.—
Tim Britton,
New York Times,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Produced by the slow decay of radioactive particles, which is a natural process that occurs in all rocks, geothermal energy was long considered too expensive and geographically constrained to compete with other renewables.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Oct. 2025
-
Linda didn’t truly solve any of those problems — not her child’s illness, not her client’s own motherhood panic, not her ceiling’s decay.—
Matthew Jacobs,
Vulture,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Letting the soil dry out some between waterings keeps the roots from rotting in excess moisture.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
12 Oct. 2025
-
The program culture began to rot, the Aggies couldn't win on the road and often underwhelmed in big games.—
Sam Khan Jr,
New York Times,
12 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Cuevas de Arom uses the vessels through the entire winemaking process, from fermentation through aging, which Mora explains provides a slower, more delicate evolution.—
Mike DeSimone,
Robb Report,
12 Oct. 2025
-
Torres explained that wine and beer are safer bets due to their fermentation process and how they are manufactured.—
Alessandra Freitas,
CNN Money,
12 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Nikolai Gogol’s will specified that his corpse must show visible signs of putrefaction before burial.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Oct. 2025
-
Likely only dead individuals, floating as gases formed by putrefaction accumulated in body cavities, entered the lagoon.—
David Bressan,
Forbes.com,
29 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Decompose.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decompose. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share