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
Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 2 May 2025
An argument festered over whether there had been help from America.
—Ruth Margalit, New Yorker, 13 June 2025
The house festering in ways only the rich and crazy can allow.
—Literary Hub, 10 June 2025
That is why President Trump has signed a Presidential Memorandum deploying 2,000 National Guardsmen to address the lawlessness that has been allowed to fester.
—Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for fester
Verb
The result is a gaping ulcer writhing with maggots, which attracts yet more adult female screwworms that can lay hundreds more eggs, deepening the putrid, festering lesion.
—Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 2 May 2025
An argument festered over whether there had been help from America.
—Ruth Margalit, New Yorker, 13 June 2025
The house festering in ways only the rich and crazy can allow.
—Literary Hub, 10 June 2025
That is why President Trump has signed a Presidential Memorandum deploying 2,000 National Guardsmen to address the lawlessness that has been allowed to fester.
—Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for fester
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fester
Verb
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The oversized chair duo is made from environmentally friendly materials that are weather-resistant and won’t crack, fade, peel, or rot.—
Mariana Best,
Better Homes & Gardens,
20 June 2025
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The world may have left England to rot (a subplot involving a foreign soldier implies that other nations have taken an active interest in helping that process along), but any society that allows an entire country to become an open-air graveyard is sick with a terrible virus of its own.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
18 June 2025
Noun
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Tayma has severe recessive dystrophic EB, one of the most severe forms of Epidermolysis Bullosa, a genetic disorder that causes Tayma's skin to blister and scar.—
Cara Lynn Shultz,
People.com,
12 June 2025
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Cellulitis can cause a painful, red, tender, swollen rash that may blister and scab over.—
Korin Miller,
SELF,
11 June 2025
Verb
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Read Next National Son arrested two decades after dad found decomposing in NH home, officials say June 18, 2025 12:40 PM Read Next National 75-year-old found dead during welfare check, Delaware troopers say.—
Jennifer Rodriguez,
Sacbee.com,
19 June 2025
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Then there was the time in 1986 when vandals broke into a crypt and stole the decomposing head of a woman, which was found under a car outside the grounds.—
Pat Saperstein,
Variety,
13 June 2025
Noun
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Season with a tablespoon of salt and bring the water to a boil.—
Gretchen McKay,
Boston Herald,
18 June 2025
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Before consuming tap water, residents are encouraged to bring the water to a boil, according to the press release.—
Caroline Zimmerman,
Kansas City Star,
16 June 2025
Verb
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In its most recent demonstration May 27, Starship spun out of control roughly halfway through its flight and disintegrated in a fireball before achieving some of its most important objectives.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
3 June 2025
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Laura’s house is a messy, colorful disaster, reflecting a personality that was clearly once charmingly ditzy and has disintegrated into instability.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
30 May 2025
Noun
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Later in the growing season, rust pustules on the underside of the leaf can be orange and black.—
Rita Perwich,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 June 2025
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Bites from these ants leave a painful sting that produces a red pustule that itches and burns, according to Texas Parks and Wildlife.—
Brayden Garcia,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
3 June 2025
Verb
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However, when viruses were exposed to sunlight, many of them did not survive as long, decaying in under 24 hours.—
Jack Knudson,
Discover Magazine,
13 Mar. 2025
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The result was not only environmental catastrophe but license for unchecked consumption of cheap plastic goods that can take a few minutes to use but hundreds of years to decay.—
Scott W. Stern,
The Atlantic,
10 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Pimple patches aren’t very effective at treating deeper, cystic pimples or blackheads.—
Caroline C. Boyle,
USA Today,
20 June 2025
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These types of pimples or bumps are also often a sign of something more severe going on and typically require medical grade care to treat.—
Lauryn Higgins,
Flow Space,
12 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fester.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fester. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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