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
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of decays
Europe will not be able to defend itself militarily if democracy decays internally.
—
Wendell Wallach,
Hartford Courant,
25 June 2026
In theory, beryllium-8 normally decays into two helium-4 nuclei.
—
Big Think,
19 Mar. 2026
This state then decays through a two-step cascade, releasing two photons in rapid succession.
—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Mar. 2026
But Daye naturally decays at the end of each season, unless she is rebuilt using the branches, berries, and blooms of the next.
—
Literary Hub,
2 Mar. 2026
The value of the model rapidly decays if it isn't routinely retrained and recalibrated on fresh data representative of the new inputs.
—
Michael Connell,
Forbes.com,
5 Jan. 2026
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
Wendell Wallach,
Hartford Courant,
25 June 2026
In theory, beryllium-8 normally decays into two helium-4 nuclei.
—
Big Think,
19 Mar. 2026
This state then decays through a two-step cascade, releasing two photons in rapid succession.
—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Mar. 2026
But Daye naturally decays at the end of each season, unless she is rebuilt using the branches, berries, and blooms of the next.
—
Literary Hub,
2 Mar. 2026
The value of the model rapidly decays if it isn't routinely retrained and recalibrated on fresh data representative of the new inputs.
—
Michael Connell,
Forbes.com,
5 Jan. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decays
Verb
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The research team enabled a room-temperature, four-electron chemical reaction path that forms and decomposes lithium oxide, which expands available energy storage.
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Organic material trapped in reservoirs accumulates and decomposes over time, releasing methane — a potent greenhouse gas that significantly contributes to global warming, Fernández-Garrido told CNN.
Verb
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Breaking them down to save for a later date isn’t enough, as bugs will still nestle their way in even as the cardboard deteriorates.
-
Another six months of war and the negotiating position deteriorates.
Verb
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But with parking spaces costing thousands of dollars apiece — one transportation cost analysis put the land-and-construction cost of a surface parking space at about $8,000 in 2022 dollars — the incentive to design bigger spaces quickly fades.
-
Then again later, because the panic fades before anything gets built.
Verb
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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.
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Even those who can afford to stay suffer losses in home equity and lifestyle as the community around them disintegrates or disappears.
Verb
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That is the moment that everything crumbles for Rachel.
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Loyalty, betrayal, illness and war all bear down on the group as the old order crumbles around them.
Verb
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When foreign investors pull money out of the country, demand for the rupiah drops, and the currency weakens.
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Every interaction either builds confidence or weakens it.
Verb
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Parents used to tell their children that television rots the brain; now it’s considered a medium for legitimate art.
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Training plants to stay off the ground instead of trailing prevents many common fungal diseases, fruit spots, and rots.
Verb
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The virtual oar-yanking celebration in a baseball atmosphere was one of those weird juxtapositions that seem to get fostered whenever a World Cup fanbase descends upon a host city.
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When a bartender goes missing, Ohm descends into both his own history and that of this Overlook Hotel–esque setting in a film that verifies the suspicion that McCarthy is one of the best genre directors currently working.
Cite this Entry
“Decays.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decays. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.
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