decomposing 1 of 2

adjective

as in decomposed

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decomposing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of decompose
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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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 decomposing
Verb
But the last inspection was in October, 10 months before dozens of decomposing bodies were found at the South Chicago Chapel funeral home. — Megan De Mar, CBS News, 17 Aug. 2026 And just over a year after that, the Morgans landed back in the news after authorities found 56 decomposing corpses inside another one of their businesses, South Deering’s South Chicago Chapel. — Caroline Kubzansky, Chicago Tribune, 17 Aug. 2026 Other microbes recycle nutrients by decomposing dead plants and animals, fix atmospheric nitrogen into forms that plants can use, and form essential partnerships with roots, insects, and other organisms. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 Aug. 2026 Food waste decomposing in landfills emits methane, a potent greenhouse gas that warms the planet. — ABC News, 10 Aug. 2026 Earlier this year, two Colorado funeral home co-directors were sentenced to decades in prison for a scheme that involved hiding 200 decomposing bodies. — Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 8 Aug. 2026 The case dates to March 11, 2022, when police in the Central Valley city of Merced found the girl’s decomposing body in the basement bathroom of a house. — Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 5 Aug. 2026 Authorities said the remains included bones believed to belong to four newborns and the decomposing body of a fifth. — Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 29 July 2026 Ament revisited his archive of decomposing negatives with his brother, designer Barry Ament, a few years ago. — Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 29 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decomposing
  1. decomposed
  2. rotting
  3. decaying
  4. disintegrating
  5. decayed
  6. rotted
  7. rotten
  8. spoiled
Adjective
  • Two decomposed bodies have been found within five days at a park in western North Carolina, and both cases are classified as murders, according to investigators.
    — Mark Price July 26, Charlotte Observer, 26 July 2026
  • At a time when the Earth was bare, when there were no vertebrates, no trees, no leaves, no flowering plants, and no plants with seeds, millipedes were feeding on decaying mosses, decomposed slime, and primordial gunk.
    — Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 13 June 2026
Definition of decomposed
Verb
  • Then came the cleanup of the rotting food, which included two freezers.
    — Julie Sharp, CBS News, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Tomatoes that have gone bad are typically soft or mushy, possibly with a rotting smell.
    — Jessica Farthing, Southern Living, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of rotting
Adjective
  • Liberal critics, however, argued—also rightly—that the Soviet Union was a decaying, economically crippled giant by the time Reagan was inaugurated.
    — Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 14 Aug. 2026
  • The district also could be in for other major changes in the coming years, including the opening of a few new schools to replace multiple decaying, underenrolled schools.
    — Scott Travis, Miami Herald, 15 May 2026
Definition of decaying
Verb
  • Teams must build enough psychological trust to disagree without disintegrating.
    — Bryan Robinson, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Others rot in the California sun, disintegrating into bony fragments.
    — Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2026
Definition of disintegrating
Adjective
  • Rossi treated the paint surface, meanwhile, by removing oxidized varnish, decayed retouching, and incoherent integrations and additions, allowing viewers to appreciate the luminosity of Fra Angelico’s palette and the precision of his gilding.
    — Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Discard any that look dead or decayed.
    — Helena Madden, Martha Stewart, 2 Apr. 2026
Definition of decayed
Adjective
  • Inspect fences and perform any repairs or maintenance, such as reinforcing posts or replacing rotted sections.
    — BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 8 June 2026
  • Many grapes become too rotted and are left to wither away.
    — John Mariani, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
Definition of rotted
Adjective
  • Neighbors said the rotten-egg smell has gotten worse over the last couple of weeks, even trailing to apartments across the street.
    — Nicole Comstock, CBS News, 21 Aug. 2026
  • The inspection followed a hunger strike by detainees, who in a letter, complained about rotten or worm-infested food, medical neglect, and being coerced into signing deportation orders.
    — Vanessa Romo, NPR, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of rotten
Adjective
  • Grocery stores can use the 2D codes to remove about-to-expire food and lock out spoiled items from getting rung up at checkout.
    — David Goldman, CNN Money, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Lineage, meanwhile, said it's removed 93% of the more than 80 million pounds of spoiled food from the facility.
    — Kelly McGreal, FOXNews.com, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of spoiled

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Cite this Entry

“Decomposing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decomposing. Accessed 24 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on decomposing

Nglish: Translation of decomposing for Spanish Speakers

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