as in to decompose
to go through decomposition
we traced the bad smell to a dead skunk putrefying under the house
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Recent Examples of putrefy
Because lose-lose situations are so endemic to the genre, a hint of relief can sometimes accompany the prospect of surrender to the putrefying mob.
—
Katy Waldman,
New Yorker,
9 Aug. 2025
Fast-forward to now, and the scene has putrefied into a wasteland of the percussive undead.
—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
2 July 2025
But those explicit depictions underscore the many points McCartney and McLennan are trying to make about how misogyny putrefies society.
—
Alexis Gunderson,
Vulture,
8 Oct. 2024
It was designed to hold 20 bodies but on this day held 28 — the putrefied remains testifying to two dozen shattered dreams of reaching the United States.
—
Arelis R. Hernández,
Washington Post,
1 Mar. 2024
Mules killed in the assault putrefied and attracted swarms of maggots.
—
Trip Gabriel,
New York Times,
12 Jan. 2024
Just as fruit and meats left untouched began to rot and putrefy, dregs and undigested material inside the body turned poisonous if not expelled.
—
Meg Leja,
Smithsonian Magazine,
10 Nov. 2023
Just as fruit and meats left untouched began to rot and putrefy, so did dregs and undigested material inside the body turn poisonous if not expelled.
—
Meg Leja,
The Conversation,
2 Nov. 2023
Katy Waldman,
New Yorker,
9 Aug. 2025
Fast-forward to now, and the scene has putrefied into a wasteland of the percussive undead.
—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
2 July 2025
But those explicit depictions underscore the many points McCartney and McLennan are trying to make about how misogyny putrefies society.
—
Alexis Gunderson,
Vulture,
8 Oct. 2024
It was designed to hold 20 bodies but on this day held 28 — the putrefied remains testifying to two dozen shattered dreams of reaching the United States.
—
Arelis R. Hernández,
Washington Post,
1 Mar. 2024
Mules killed in the assault putrefied and attracted swarms of maggots.
—
Trip Gabriel,
New York Times,
12 Jan. 2024
Just as fruit and meats left untouched began to rot and putrefy, dregs and undigested material inside the body turned poisonous if not expelled.
—
Meg Leja,
Smithsonian Magazine,
10 Nov. 2023
Just as fruit and meats left untouched began to rot and putrefy, so did dregs and undigested material inside the body turn poisonous if not expelled.
—
Meg Leja,
The Conversation,
2 Nov. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for putrefy
Verb
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Every project should be decomposed into tasks, with explicit categorization of which are human, AI or hybrid.
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The owners of Davis Mortuary in Pueblo have been arrested, accused in connection with the investigation that was sparked by last year's discovery of decomposing bodies behind a barricaded door at the mortuary.
Verb
-
Keep the mulch a few inches away from the trunk to prevent rot.
-
The old deck was rotting and had trees growing up through it.
Verb
-
Newton was undeniably the face of Charlotte sports from the day he was drafted in 2011 until the year his career began to disintegrate due to injuries, in 2019.
-
Ebenezer Watson followed closely the disintegrating situation with Britain in 1775.
Verb
-
Phorid flies lay their eggs in decaying organic matter and thrive in places where moisture is present.
-
Little filth flies such as drain flies breed in sludge and decaying matter that can build up in drain pipes, says Oi.
Cite this Entry
“Putrefy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/putrefy. Accessed 1 Jul. 2026.
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