as in to disintegrate
to go through decomposition
detectives needed to know how long it would take a corpse to decompose to that advanced state
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in decay
the process by which dead organic matter separates into simpler substances
the unmistakable smell of decomposition led us to some fruit that had fallen behind the refrigerator
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of decompose
Perri Thaler, IEEE Spectrum, 22 Oct. 2025
Pets would defrost and decompose.
—Karen Kucher, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Oct. 2025
Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 4 Oct. 2025
After extinguishing the fire, officials found Robert Hill, 44, deceased with severe burns, apparent head trauma, and signs of decomposition, according to Melesa Johnson with the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office.
—Noelle Alviz-Gransee, Kansas City Star, 29 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for decompose
Verb
The slurry was freeze-dried and brought up to 950 °C for an hour to decompose.
—Perri Thaler, IEEE Spectrum, 22 Oct. 2025
Pets would defrost and decompose.
—Karen Kucher, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Oct. 2025
Noun
Eventually, the natural fungal spores will colonize, and decomposition will begin.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 4 Oct. 2025
After extinguishing the fire, officials found Robert Hill, 44, deceased with severe burns, apparent head trauma, and signs of decomposition, according to Melesa Johnson with the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office.
—Noelle Alviz-Gransee, Kansas City Star, 29 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for decompose
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decompose
Verb
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Ethan Hawke stars as Lorenz Hart of legendary songsmiths Rodgers & Hart as the prolific partnership disintegrates to his great dismay.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
17 Oct. 2025
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This difference sounds small, but preventing a few tenths of a degree of warming could keep polar ice caps from completely disintegrating, coral reefs from collapsing and other tipping points from triggering.—
Syris Valentine,
Scientific American,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Despite years of legal battles over the relocations, more than 150,000 bodies were exhumed from the 1920s to the early 1940s for the trip to Colma, each in various stages of decay.—
Chris Kenning,
USA Today,
25 Oct. 2025
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Why didn’t evolution produce a more dependable version of the human body, less prone to malfunction and decay?—
Lucinda Rosenfeld,
New Yorker,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Good drainage also helps prevent crown rot in winter.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
31 Oct. 2025
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The rotting corpse flower’s putrid stench cast a spell Thursday across Roseville High School’s campus.—
Ishani Desai,
Sacbee.com,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Anderson loves to garden, and a flair for fermentation runs in her family.—
Emily Farris,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
31 Oct. 2025
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Baroo is a modern Korean restaurant in the Arts District, with a focus on fermentation.—
Jocelyn Silver,
Vogue,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Nikolai Gogol’s will specified that his corpse must show visible signs of putrefaction before burial.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Oct. 2025
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Likely only dead individuals, floating as gases formed by putrefaction accumulated in body cavities, entered the lagoon.—
David Bressan,
Forbes.com,
29 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Decompose.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decompose. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
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