as in decomposed
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as in rotting
to go through decomposition
detectives needed to know how long it would take a corpse to decompose to that advanced state
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Recent Examples of decomposing
Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2026
Carie Hallford was sentenced to 30 years for her role in a scheme that involved hiding nearly 200 decomposing bodies.
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 25 Apr. 2026
The autopsy was performed in September 2025, days after the body was found decomposing in the Tesla's trunk at a Hollywood tow yard, but the results were ordered sealed by a judge as the Los Angeles Police Department and the county's District Attorney's Office built their case.
—Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 23 Apr. 2026
D4vd’s parents are coming to his defense after the platinum-selling singer was arrested Thursday on suspicion of murdering Celeste Rivas Hernandez, the 14-year-old girl found dismembered and decomposing in the trunk of his Tesla seven months ago.
—Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 17 Apr. 2026
The decomposing body of the teenage girl was found in the trunk of Burke’s abandoned Tesla last September, a day after her 15th birthday.
—Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 17 Apr. 2026
The Houston singer-songwriter was first tied to Rivas’ death in September 2025, when police discovered a trash bag containing a dismembered, decomposing body in a Tesla registered under Burke’s name.
—Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 17 Apr. 2026
Fruit flies are attracted to the smell of ripening fruit and decomposing produce.
—Christine Fiorentino, Southern Living, 12 Apr. 2026
Clements explained that the animal had been decomposing for weeks before it was buried, giving its fossil an octopus-like appearance that led many scientists to conclude that octopuses had lived far earlier than previously thought.
—Jack Guy, CNN Money, 9 Apr. 2026
Verb
The search was prompted by soil vapor sampling, an experimental technology that detected volatile organic compounds potentially associated with decomposing human remains — though the method remains unproven in criminal investigations.
—Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2026
Carie Hallford was sentenced to 30 years for her role in a scheme that involved hiding nearly 200 decomposing bodies.
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 25 Apr. 2026
The autopsy was performed in September 2025, days after the body was found decomposing in the Tesla's trunk at a Hollywood tow yard, but the results were ordered sealed by a judge as the Los Angeles Police Department and the county's District Attorney's Office built their case.
—Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 23 Apr. 2026
D4vd’s parents are coming to his defense after the platinum-selling singer was arrested Thursday on suspicion of murdering Celeste Rivas Hernandez, the 14-year-old girl found dismembered and decomposing in the trunk of his Tesla seven months ago.
—Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 17 Apr. 2026
The decomposing body of the teenage girl was found in the trunk of Burke’s abandoned Tesla last September, a day after her 15th birthday.
—Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 17 Apr. 2026
The Houston singer-songwriter was first tied to Rivas’ death in September 2025, when police discovered a trash bag containing a dismembered, decomposing body in a Tesla registered under Burke’s name.
—Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 17 Apr. 2026
Fruit flies are attracted to the smell of ripening fruit and decomposing produce.
—Christine Fiorentino, Southern Living, 12 Apr. 2026
Clements explained that the animal had been decomposing for weeks before it was buried, giving its fossil an octopus-like appearance that led many scientists to conclude that octopuses had lived far earlier than previously thought.
—Jack Guy, CNN Money, 9 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decomposing
Adjective
-
Prosecutors previously presented photos of Chiodo’s badly decomposed body.—
Evy Lewis,
Chicago Tribune,
6 May 2026
-
Hernandez’s badly decomposed body was found in the trunk of Burke’s Tesla at a Hollywood tow yard in September.—
Richard Winton,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
They are drawn to rotting fruits and vegetables, sugary drinks, vinegar, alcohol, damp and dirty sponges, garbage cans, and sink drains.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
5 May 2026
-
Smokers who smelled a mix of cigarettes and rotting fish overnight subsequently reduced their cigarette consumption by more than thirty per cent—more than people who smelled the pairing while awake.—
Shayla Love,
New Yorker,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
The Professor, with only her ex-partner’s cat for company, sits in her decaying apartment and grieves the loss of her relationship and her struggle with infertility.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 May 2026
-
What showed up when those compounds were represented with colors on a plume map and compared with dozens of control-point samples of nearby soil indicated the presence of a decaying body, according to Eckenrode.—
Richard Winton,
Los Angeles Times,
6 May 2026
Adjective
-
Discard any that look dead or decayed.—
Helena Madden,
Martha Stewart,
2 Apr. 2026
-
The farm buildings on the property—long verandas, shearing sheds, and concrete kennels—are old and decayed, remnants from long before the group showed up.—
Robert Rubsam,
The Atlantic,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The meteor was moving southwest at 30,000 miles per hour and traveled 117 miles through the upper atmosphere before disintegrating 27 miles above the town of Galloway north of Atlantic City, New Jersey, according to NASA.—
Kate Perez,
USA Today,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Last year, the Dominican Republic deported more than 100,000 Haitians back to their disintegrating country.—
George Packer,
The Atlantic,
24 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Many grapes become too rotted and are left to wither away.—
John Mariani,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index fell to its lowest level ever recorded, as war in the Middle East caused all demographic groups across age, income, and political party to feel rotten, prior to the announcement of the ceasefire.—
Jill Schlesinger,
Mercury News,
4 May 2026
-
Too much water can lead to rotten roots or fungal infections.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
My girl's gonna get spoiled — that's for sure — from Aunt Julianne.—
Toria Sheffield,
PEOPLE,
3 May 2026
-
Ann and Pat later moved to a 10-acre farm east of Franktown, where Schrader gardened, raised hens, spoiled cats and hoisted 50-pound bales of hay among other chores for the family’s eight horses.—
Billie Stanton,
Denver Post,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Decomposing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decomposing. Accessed 15 May. 2026.
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