mold 1 of 2

noun

Definition of moldnext
as in soil
the loose surface material in which plants naturally grow mold so rich that just about anything will grow in it

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

mold

2 of 2

verb

as in to decompose
to go through decomposition plants molding in the abandoned garden

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 mold
Noun
Their SoHo showroom, opened earlier this year, brings it all together in a moody interior—which also features vintage steel molds used to cast Frankenstein Halloween masks, above a spiky metal light fixture called Crown of Thorns. — Francesca Perry, Vogue, 29 Oct. 2026 John Blackburn is the owner of ARS Restoration Services, a fire, water, mold, and trauma restoration company. — Kamron Sanders, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Oct. 2026
Verb
Since then, our nation has been molded by the knowledge that the United States did the right thing. — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 22 Oct. 2026 Actress Samantha Morton, who played Circe, molded the men into pigs using animatronics and other effects. — Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 15 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for mold
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mold
  1. soil
  2. decompose
  3. dirt
  4. rot
  5. ground
  6. disintegrate
  7. sand
  8. decay
Noun
  • Bukele late Thursday said in his statement on X that the deployment of his soldiers and equipment on Haitian soil is nearly finished.
    — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 30 Oct. 2026
  • By analyzing drone data, the government concluded that they were launched from Ethiopian soil, added Abdel Qader in a SUNA report.
    — YASSIR ABDALLA, Arkansas Online, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of soil
Verb
  • The body of 76-year-old Ronald Tyler was already decomposing by the time his daughter Terri found out where he was being stored.
    — Dave Savini, CBS News, 27 Oct. 2026
  • The coins were originally buried together in a container made of organic material that has since decomposed, archaeologists believe.
    — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of decompose
Noun
  • For the dirt topping, feel free to follow your imagination and taste, substituting or replacing any of the ingredients with your favorite chocolate cookies or treats while still keeping the visual appearance of a varied, crumbly soil.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026
  • For the aesthetes who have already seen the latest exhibition at MoMA, this weekend guide for design lovers is intended to point you in a few other directions (and no, this does not include that viral room full of dirt in SoHo).
    — Jessica Sulima, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of dirt
Verb
  • And speaking of resisting the robots, Joshua Rothman has put together a techy gift guide of gadgets and gizmos that won’t rot brains.
    — Caroline Mimbs Nyce, New Yorker, 29 Oct. 2026
  • The former may be a cesspool that rots our brains and amplifies ethnic hatred, but its dangers don’t compare to the dangers of RSI.
    — Sigal Samuel, Vox, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of rot
Noun
  • These connections replicate those planned for the tokamak and will allow engineers to assess the magnet’s high-voltage ground insulation.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 4 Nov. 2026
  • The spot sparked national bipartisan backlash on grounds that Acton's mother had lost custody of her children decades ago after her husband, their stepfather, was indicted for raping Acton as a child.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of ground
Verb
  • With each impact, Sarah’s face disintegrates into a bloodier pulp, her bone structure buckling under every successive thud until Nikki has finally and irrevocably rendered the character a faceless corpse.
    — Chris Lee, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2026
  • The space shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry because of a piece of foam that the astronaut estimates might have weighed about as much as a Styrofoam container.
    — Laura Zornosa, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of disintegrate
Noun
  • Other new displays include Lightwave, an immersive tunnel of moving and fixed chrome spheres; Cosmic Garden, a glowing hillside inspired by meditative sand gardens; and Fairy Forest, featuring glowing orbs and illuminated mushrooms.
    — Rick West, Chicago Tribune, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Three days later a second olive ridley laid eggs eight miles south on the sand in Huntington Beach.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of sand
Verb
  • Over time, the orbit of the pair can decay, the duo slowly approaching one another.
    — Phil Plait, Scientific American, 30 Oct. 2026
  • These showers won’t make their way to Sacramento, but a few passing clouds over the region are expected late morning and early afternoon as the decaying pulse of earlier rain passes.
    — Sean Macaday, Sacbee.com, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of decay

Browse Nearby Words

mokes
mold
moldable
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Mold.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mold. Accessed 4 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on mold

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about mold

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of fulsome

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

Ten More Words from Taylor Swift Songs

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
couple-laugh-cafe
Quiz: Foreign Phrases You Should Know Check out your bona fides and avoid any faux pas.
See All