decaying 1 of 3

decaying

2 of 3

verb

present participle of decay
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2
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decaying

3 of 3

adjective

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 decaying
Verb
For the study, Ruotsalainen measured the Q values of two double-beta decaying and one beta-decaying nucleus. Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 8 Oct. 2025
Adjective
Filth Flies Little filth flies such as drain flies breed in sludge and decaying matter that can build up in drain pipes, says Oi. Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 10 Oct. 2025 For the study, Ruotsalainen measured the Q values of two double-beta decaying and one beta-decaying nucleus. Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 8 Oct. 2025 Scientists have long suspected that the will-o’-the-wisp’s spectral glow came from a chemical reaction in gases released by decaying organic matter. Mindy Weisberger, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2025 If left standing, decaying leaves can attract rodents, like voles, by providing a cozy winter home. Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 Oct. 2025 For another, there’s the DESI data, our best large-scale structure data at present, which seems to slightly favor the presence of evolving (and, in particular, decaying or weakening) dark energy. Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 3 Oct. 2025 Although that serves as the lynchpin of Hinako's journey through both her decaying town and the Otherworld, a strange realm that manifests itself through Hinako's fears and anxieties, the teenager's journey is rooted in more than just angst. Zackery Cuevas, PC Magazine, 23 Sep. 2025 There is natural beauty, too, with landscapes of Trento, Italy’s trees changing and decaying over time informing a lot of the textures. Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 23 Sep. 2025 Three dead mice, two of them decaying, were also found in the basement, the report said. Jennifer Rodriguez, Kansas City Star, 22 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decaying
Noun
  • Americans have this year grappled with elevated inflation, as well as a deterioration of the job market and a broader weakening of the nation’s economic outlook.
    Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Oct. 2025
  • The median age of survival since 1970 is 29 years and, while there is no cure and physical deterioration is inevitable, advancements in care have lengthened life expectancy.
    Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 8 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
  • Also ideal for a vegetable garden and other flowers, each metal bed has an open base that prevents water accumulation and protects a plant’s root system from rotting.
    Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The Afghanistan Analysts Network, also reported others were leaving amid plummeting salaries and deteriorating conditions.
    NPR, NPR, 14 Oct. 2025
  • Travelers in the region are advised to remain alert for rapidly changing conditions, as the combination of snow and high winds can produce sudden reductions in visibility and rapidly deteriorating roadways.
    Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The fading crowd audio under Magic Johnson’s speechless.
    Dana Harris-Bridson, IndieWire, 13 Oct. 2025
  • Because of it, their once-fading playoff chances suddenly look like a sure thing.
    Ryan Finley, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Another great opportunity for anthuriums, or for any flower really, that could take a ramshackle bathroom situation to a royal design occasion.
    Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 7 Oct. 2025
  • The two manage to thrive together amid the decay and disorder of their East Hampton, New York mansion, making for an eerily ramshackle echo of the American Camelot.
    Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 23 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
  • Mushrooms also thrive in decomposing wood mulch.
    Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 5 Oct. 2025
  • This prompts the straw to start decomposing, ensuring the bales won’t overheat and burn your plants later.
    Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Bringing the battle home for players to storm brownstones in Brooklyn Heights or desperately traverse a crumbling Manhattan Bridge is effectively scary — for most people.
    Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 9 Oct. 2025
  • The show, held in a crumbling 19th-century villa on the outskirts of the city, was inspired by planetary alignment, archaeological ruins and global unity, says Schnaider, 34.
    Alexa Brazilian, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Decaying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decaying. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.

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