1
as in deteriorates
to become worse or of less value
the house slowly fell into disrepair and rotted
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in decomposes
to go through decomposition
rotting vegetation on the bank of the river
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 rots
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
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
-
And as our credit deteriorates, borrowing gets more expensive, forcing us to borrow more to keep up, which worsens our credit further.—
Bill Conway,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Mar. 2026
-
When hospitals operate under extreme and unpredictable demand spikes, patient safety deteriorates.—
Eugene Litvak,
STAT,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
The clever bit is when these fuels flow through the Draper engine and encounter a catalyst that decomposes the hydrogen peroxide into high-pressure oxygen and steam.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Like the impish anti-romance that crumbles around it, the movie’s twist is both transgressive enough to be pleased with itself and also rooted in a reality that refuses to be dismissed as a bad joke.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
31 Mar. 2026
-
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
-
But shortly thereafter, its nucleus fragments and quickly disintegrates.—
Joe Rao,
Space.com,
31 Mar. 2026
-
The café disintegrates, white-peach mimosas lost forever.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Holy Week begins with a triumphal procession, descends into betrayal and death, and ends with resurrection.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Ribbon Fall, which descends 1,612 feet and marks Yosemite’s single largest drop, is a slender plunge and could be gone by June, Goehring says.—
Kurtis Alexander,
San Francisco Chronicle,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In theory, beryllium-8 normally decays into two helium-4 nuclei.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
19 Mar. 2026
-
This state then decays through a two-step cascade, releasing two photons in rapid succession.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
And as our credit deteriorates, borrowing gets more expensive, forcing us to borrow more to keep up, which worsens our credit further.—
Bill Conway,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Distress could spread to countries beyond the Gulf if dire conditions prompt residents to flee across borders and infrastructure damage worsens a global oil shock, analysts said.—
Max Zahn,
ABC News,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
If the tech sector declines, the resulting drawdown can significantly reduce your base for withdrawals—at a point when there may be little time to recover.—
Doug Ashburn,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
-
As access declines, downstream complications and costs will rise.—
Diego Schaps,
STAT,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rots.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rots. Accessed 11 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
