1
as in decomposes
to go through decomposition
the logs decayed on the rain forest floor the atom of plutonium decayed in the test chamber
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in deteriorates
to become worse or of less value
the restaurant's standards for food and service had decayed over the years
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in fades
to lose bodily strength or vigor
having reached her 80s, the woman could sense that her body was decaying
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of decays
Grief gets layered on top of grief and secrets stack sky high as suburban normalcy decays into something at once alarmingly unstable and comfortingly funny.
—
Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 19 Dec. 2025
This famously happens when a quantum object is measured, but in this case, the mystery crops up when the top quark decays into lighter particles.
—Shalma Wegsman, Quanta Magazine, 25 Nov. 2025
The RTGs are mounted on a boom and use plutonium-238 oxide that slowly decays and produces heat.
—George Petras, USA Today, 25 Nov. 2025
The most common isotope, plutonium-239, is produced when the most common isotope of uranium, uranium-238, absorbs a neutron and then quickly decays to plutonium.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 23 Oct. 2025
The heartwood in the tree’s center decays first and makes for easy excavating.
—Madison Dapcevich, Outside, 21 Sep. 2025
This could include some sort of novel, exotic form of mass or energy, a non-standard form of dark matter or dark energy that decays or otherwise interacts, or a modification to one or more laws of physics.
—Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 2 Sep. 2025
Competitive advantage now decays in months, not years.
—Jason Wingard, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
As the emitter naturally decays, electrons (in the form of beta particles) strike the absorber.
—IEEE Spectrum, 25 Aug. 2025
Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 19 Dec. 2025
This famously happens when a quantum object is measured, but in this case, the mystery crops up when the top quark decays into lighter particles.
—Shalma Wegsman, Quanta Magazine, 25 Nov. 2025
The RTGs are mounted on a boom and use plutonium-238 oxide that slowly decays and produces heat.
—George Petras, USA Today, 25 Nov. 2025
The most common isotope, plutonium-239, is produced when the most common isotope of uranium, uranium-238, absorbs a neutron and then quickly decays to plutonium.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 23 Oct. 2025
The heartwood in the tree’s center decays first and makes for easy excavating.
—Madison Dapcevich, Outside, 21 Sep. 2025
This could include some sort of novel, exotic form of mass or energy, a non-standard form of dark matter or dark energy that decays or otherwise interacts, or a modification to one or more laws of physics.
—Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 2 Sep. 2025
Competitive advantage now decays in months, not years.
—Jason Wingard, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
As the emitter naturally decays, electrons (in the form of beta particles) strike the absorber.
—IEEE Spectrum, 25 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decays
Verb
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The research team developed a route-planning system for Astrobee, the ISS’s robotic assistant, that leverages sequential convex programming—a method that decomposes complex trajectory planning into smaller, tractable steps while guaranteeing safety and feasibility.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Dec. 2025
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Shilajit is a mineral-rich resin that forms over centuries as plant material slowly decomposes under heat and pressure within the rocks of the Himalayan Mountains.—
Lindsay Curtis,
Verywell Health,
27 Nov. 2025
Verb
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As her vision deteriorates, Penny turns to psychoanalysis not in hopes of reversing her condition, but to confront years of denial and silence.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
19 Feb. 2026
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Europe is tightening the net on Russian oil being shipped through its waters, squeezing Moscow’s ability to fund its war even as officials and business executives in Russia fear the window is narrowing to reach a peace deal before the economy deteriorates.—
Catherine Belton,
Washington Post,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Singleton acknowledged that sustaining the coordinated, multi-agency model beyond the World Cup will be difficult once the spotlight fades.—
Cierra Morgan,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Feb. 2026
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The continent’s funds have seen steady inflows over the last 12 months, after years of outflows, as pessimism over Europe’s economy fades.—
Tom Chivers,
semafor.com,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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If the American state disintegrates, future postmortems are unlikely to focus much on measles, or on rotavirus vaccination rates.—
Vann R. Newkirk II,
The Atlantic,
9 Feb. 2026
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The debris – space rocks known as meteoroids – collides with Earth's atmosphere at high speed and disintegrates, creating fiery and colorful streaks in the sky, according to NASA.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
2 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The song was inspired by surviving a toxic relationship, and then finding a true-hearted love that crumbles emotional walls.—
Jessica Nicholson,
Billboard,
15 Jan. 2026
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Academic success means little if a child crumbles under stress.—
Dr. Mona Amin,
CNBC,
5 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Cutting the International Affairs Budget (which includes USAID) weakens our global leadership and can leave preventable crises to become a problem later on.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
13 Feb. 2026
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That pattern weakens the polar vortex’s grip on cold air, allowing Arctic air to spill into the central and southern United States.—
Newsroom Meteorologist,
Houston Chronicle,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The big differences between the labs probably reflect the fact that, as Italians like to say, the fish rots from the head.—
Caroline Mimbs Nyce,
New Yorker,
10 Feb. 2026
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Bacterial plant diseases include speck (a winter-surviving infection that attacks tomatoes), canker (which damages fruit trees including those producing apples and peaches), and blight (which rots melons, cucumbers, pumpkins, squash, peppers, tomatoes, eggplants, beans, and more).—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Bear left for the Horseshoe Bend segment that descends quickly to the Agua Fria River.—
Roger Naylor,
AZCentral.com,
20 Feb. 2026
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As a small rural settlement is swiftly and ruthlessly stripped bare by the twin plagues of a diphtheria epidemic and spreading wildfires, the film eventually descends into a near-literal hellscape, though even when pandemonium takes over on screen, Van Dusen’s formal control never wavers.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Decays.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decays. Accessed 24 Feb. 2026.
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