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
William Pesek, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025
As buyers remained wary of sky-high prices, unbudging mortgage rates and festering economic uncertainty, the typical home sold last month spent 43 days on the market—the longest span for any July since 2015—before buyer and seller closed a deal on it, according to the real estate brokerage Redfin.
—Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Aug. 2025
Cortez Masto’s clash with Booker during Police Week offered a rare public window into those festering strategic disputes.
—Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 7 Aug. 2025
Some of the most disturbing sequences in film history have festered from that old familiar wound: love gone wrong.
—Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 31 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for fester
Verb
Given the weakness in mainland inflation and a property crisis that continues to fester, Pan arguably should be easing at virtually every opportunity.
—William Pesek, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025
As buyers remained wary of sky-high prices, unbudging mortgage rates and festering economic uncertainty, the typical home sold last month spent 43 days on the market—the longest span for any July since 2015—before buyer and seller closed a deal on it, according to the real estate brokerage Redfin.
—Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Aug. 2025
Cortez Masto’s clash with Booker during Police Week offered a rare public window into those festering strategic disputes.
—Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 7 Aug. 2025
Some of the most disturbing sequences in film history have festered from that old familiar wound: love gone wrong.
—Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 31 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for fester
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fester
Verb
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Check each tomato for pest damage or disease such as blossom end rot.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
7 Sep. 2025
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It can also be used to describe the brain-rotting content itself.—
Safiyah Riddle,
Fortune,
7 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Apply anti-itch cream like calamine lotion or hydrocortisone for open blisters.—
Sarah Moore,
Freep.com,
23 Aug. 2025
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The Yankees have been adamant that Fried’s blister has nothing to do with his struggles.—
Chris Kirschner,
New York Times,
21 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The farm worked with Ducks Unlimited for a different conservation easement applicable to its rice fields, and was an early adopter of post-harvest flood practices to decompose rice straw left over from harvest.—
Jake Goodrick,
Sacbee.com,
4 Sep. 2025
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While strontium aluminate can readily decompose in plants, posing harm to plant tissue, Liu said, the scientists developed a chemical coating for the material that acts as a protective barrier.—
Issy Ronald,
CNN Money,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Fill a pot with enough water to cover your egg or eggs by about an inch, and bring it to a boil.—
Cody Godwin,
USA Today,
4 Sep. 2025
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Get the recipe > This seafood boil turns a simple meal into a celebration, with loads of spices, flavorful shrimp, crawfish, and sweet corn coming together in a fragrant, comforting, and slightly messy hands-on feast.—
SAVEUR Editors,
Saveur,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Before flight 10, Starship's most recent demonstration came on May 27, when the spacecraft spun out of control roughly halfway through its flight and disintegrated in a fireball.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
28 Aug. 2025
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The situation quickly disintegrated as Joseph Gerber, 45, who had an outstanding felony warrant, fired first and wounded Mancera.—
Jim Woods,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Folliculitis refers to the bacterial or fungal infection of the hair follicle that can lead to redness or pustules centered around the hair follicle.—
Audrey Noble,
Vogue,
1 July 2025
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Their venom, similar to a bee’s or wasp’s, results in a painful, itchy pustule or blister on the skin.—
Gareth McGrath,
USA Today,
28 June 2025
Verb
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Researchers from each, plus the United States, were attempting to decipher the challenges presented by opposing either a regime or a decaying democracy.—
Ron Scherf,
Time,
5 Sep. 2025
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Their decaying carcasses led to the rapid deterioration of water quality and an explosion of harmful bacteria, researchers said.—
Lauren Liebhaber
September 5,
Miami Herald,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
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New pimple patch on finger featuring a specialized array of tiny spikes.—
Hannah Millington,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Sep. 2025
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If a breakout happens, Schaffer is a fan of pimple patches.—
Khanh T.L. Tran,
USA Today,
29 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fester.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fester. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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