as in to rot
to go through decomposition
a week after the battle the corpses of the fallen were still festering in the fields
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Recent Examples of fester
E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 17 Dec. 2025
However, underlying fears about the shape of market continue to fester.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 4 Dec. 2025
This arrangement would prove short-lived as well, as tensions festered between Burhan and Dagalo, who accused the military chief of consolidating undue power and promoting allied factions, including Islamist forces.
—Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Nov. 2025
Discord allows users to hide evidence of foul play on their system, and that attracts these types of organizations to just fester and grow.
—Mike Levine, ABC News, 18 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fester
Verb
Whatever, exactly, is festering between Cannon, her mom, and Gung Gung goes largely unsaid.
—E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 17 Dec. 2025
However, underlying fears about the shape of market continue to fester.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 4 Dec. 2025
This arrangement would prove short-lived as well, as tensions festered between Burhan and Dagalo, who accused the military chief of consolidating undue power and promoting allied factions, including Islamist forces.
—Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Nov. 2025
Discord allows users to hide evidence of foul play on their system, and that attracts these types of organizations to just fester and grow.
—Mike Levine, ABC News, 18 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fester
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fester
Verb
-
Politically, the regime has rotted from within, discarding, discrediting, or detaining its own kind.—
Robin Wright,
New Yorker,
13 Jan. 2026
-
That includes money to replace a lot of wood that rotted away due to holes in the roof and walls.—
Mark Price,
Charlotte Observer,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Last year, Cabrera missed the start of the regular season with a blister on his middle finger, then missed three weeks in September due to a right elbow sprain.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
6 Jan. 2026
-
Clarke, while not among Boston’s top 10 prospects, looked promising as a product of Boston’s pitching development system, despite dealing with a recurring blister that skewed his numbers.—
Jen McCaffrey,
New York Times,
26 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Investigators later searched the Ephrata home and storage unit of Jonathan Christ Gerlach, 34, and reported finding more than 100 human skulls, long bones, mummified hands and feet, two decomposing torsos and other skeletal items.—
Mark Scolforo,
Fortune,
9 Jan. 2026
-
For nearly two weeks before embarking on the cross-country road trip, the teenager lived with his parents’ decomposing bodies.—
David Zimmermann,
The Washington Examiner,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Bring 3 cups of the chicken broth to a boil in a large saucepan over high.—
Kimberly Holland,
Southern Living,
12 Jan. 2026
-
The list of occasions can go on and on, ranging from universal (football and concerts) to local (ice fishing in northern Minnesota and crawfish boils in Baton Rouge).—
Rahul Goyal,
Fortune,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
By removing microscopic defects and smoothing the surface, this coating ensures efficient energy flow while preventing the cell from disintegrating under intense heat.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Jan. 2026
-
The very flying machine that now seemed destined to disintegrate in midair with us and the little girl.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Spoiler alert: The monster is definitely real, a lion-bear hybrid covered in disgusting bloody pustules.—
Katie Rife,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 Oct. 2025
-
In fact, one of the most common triggers of rosacea, which is characterized by flushing, swelling, spider veins, papules, and pustules, is exposure to sunlight.—
Sherri Gordon,
Health,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
In essence, this would mean that alpha particles (helium nuclei) released by decaying uranium (or some other fissile material) would be focused through engine nozzles to generate thrust.—
Matthew S Williams,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Jan. 2026
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While many have decayed, some have been lovingly restored, such as Palermo’s Neo-Gothic Palazzo Alliata di Pietratagliata, which has remained in the same family since the 15th century.—
Rosalyn Wikeley,
Condé Nast Traveler,
10 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
In 2013, my husband Dave and I hauled a beat-up, fire-engine-red suitcase overflowing with sheet masks, toners, snail creams, and pimple patches to the Hester Street Fair, a weekend market in the Lower East Side.—
Charlotte Cho,
Allure,
3 Jan. 2026
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The Mighty Patch works to absorb the gunk from pimples and help speed up the healing process.—
Daley Quinn,
Glamour,
23 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fester.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fester. Accessed 16 Jan. 2026.
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