1
as in deteriorates
to become worse or of less value
the house slowly fell into disrepair and rotted
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in decomposes
to go through decomposition
rotting vegetation on the bank of the river
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of rots
Training plants to stay off the ground instead of trailing prevents many common fungal diseases, fruit spots, and rots.
—
Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 31 May 2026
When the seaweed rots, hydrogen sulfide gas is emitted, which smells like rotten eggs.
—Doyle Rice, USA Today, 18 Apr. 2026
The big differences between the labs probably reflect the fact that, as Italians like to say, the fish rots from the head.
—Caroline Mimbs Nyce, New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2026
Bacterial plant diseases include speck (a winter-surviving infection that attacks tomatoes), canker (which damages fruit trees including those producing apples and peaches), and blight (which rots melons, cucumbers, pumpkins, squash, peppers, tomatoes, eggplants, beans, and more).
—New Atlas, 10 Jan. 2026
Critics have long warned that too much television rots your brain, but new evidence suggests at least some time in front of the tube may actually benefit your mental health.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 7 Jan. 2026
If Britain continues down the path of criminalizing thought and prayer, the alliance risks being reduced to polite diplomacy while its moral core rots away.
—Lois McLatchie Miller, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Aug. 2025
Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 31 May 2026
When the seaweed rots, hydrogen sulfide gas is emitted, which smells like rotten eggs.
—Doyle Rice, USA Today, 18 Apr. 2026
The big differences between the labs probably reflect the fact that, as Italians like to say, the fish rots from the head.
—Caroline Mimbs Nyce, New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2026
Bacterial plant diseases include speck (a winter-surviving infection that attacks tomatoes), canker (which damages fruit trees including those producing apples and peaches), and blight (which rots melons, cucumbers, pumpkins, squash, peppers, tomatoes, eggplants, beans, and more).
—New Atlas, 10 Jan. 2026
Critics have long warned that too much television rots your brain, but new evidence suggests at least some time in front of the tube may actually benefit your mental health.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 7 Jan. 2026
If Britain continues down the path of criminalizing thought and prayer, the alliance risks being reduced to polite diplomacy while its moral core rots away.
—Lois McLatchie Miller, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rots
Verb
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Because when executives aren’t safe to respectfully and directly challenge each other, the room grows quieter, and leadership quality deteriorates.—
Terina Allen,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
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Directed by Martin Scorsese, the neo-noir psychological drama follows De Niro as a taxi driver whose mental state deteriorates while working night shifts in New York City.—
Sharareh Drury,
Entertainment Weekly,
25 May 2026
Verb
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Organic material trapped in reservoirs accumulates and decomposes over time, releasing methane — a potent greenhouse gas that significantly contributes to global warming, Fernández-Garrido told CNN.—
Radina Gigova,
CNN Money,
27 May 2026
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Another process, thermogenic hydrogen formation, occurs in deep sedimentary basins when organic material decomposes under high temperatures, roughly 480 to 930 degrees Fahrenheit (250 to 500 degrees Celsius).—
Promise Longe,
The Conversation,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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That is the moment that everything crumbles for Rachel.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
14 May 2026
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Loyalty, betrayal, illness and war all bear down on the group as the old order crumbles around them.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
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None are quite about the conflicting frames of reference and value that arise when an ancient cultural formation disintegrates and a successor has yet to take its place.—
Becca Rothfeld,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
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The skin stretches out and disintegrates, posing a risk of limb amputation.—
Anna Giaritelli,
The Washington Examiner,
17 May 2026
Verb
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Rue descends into crime, working with Nazis, the feds, and a Black cowboy in a drug plot that stems from her adolescent foibles with monotone drug dealer Laurie (Martha Kelly).—
Savannah Walsh,
Vanity Fair,
29 May 2026
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With trust eroding, dangerous new allies entering the fold, and the FBI escalating its pressure, the compound descends further into chaos — all building toward a shocking and unforgettable confrontation.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
26 May 2026
Verb
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In theory, beryllium-8 normally decays into two helium-4 nuclei.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
19 Mar. 2026
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This state then decays through a two-step cascade, releasing two photons in rapid succession.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Global economic outlook worsens over Iran war The US and Iran appeared still willing to reach a peace deal despite American strikes and Tehran’s threats of reprisals — but the global economic fallout from the conflict deepened.—
semafor.com,
semafor.com,
29 May 2026
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When oil prices rise because of a supply disruption, as happened in 1973 and 1979, the economy worsens.—
Bill Conerly,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
Verb
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When a substantial fraction of that talent pool declines even to consider military service, no signing bonus will close the gap.—
Robert Krasner,
STAT,
1 June 2026
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And yet there's been no change in women's biology, or the age at which fertility declines.—
Lesley Stahl,
CBS News,
31 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rots.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rots. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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