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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of rots
Parents used to tell their children that television rots the brain; now it’s considered a medium for legitimate art.
—
New York Times, 1 June 2026
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
New York Times, 1 June 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rots
Verb
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Another six months of war and the negotiating position deteriorates.—
Güney Yıldız,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
-
Meetings grow tense, and communication deteriorates.—
Niurys Robaina,
Miami Herald,
4 June 2026
Verb
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The research team enabled a room-temperature, four-electron chemical reaction path that forms and decomposes lithium oxide, which expands available energy storage.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
3 June 2026
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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
Verb
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That is the moment that everything crumbles for Rachel.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
14 May 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
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Even those who can afford to stay suffer losses in home equity and lifestyle as the community around them disintegrates or disappears.—
The Conversation,
Fortune,
12 June 2026
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Even those who can afford to stay suffer losses in home equity and lifestyle as the community around them disintegrates or disappears.—
Zac Taylor,
The Conversation,
9 June 2026
Verb
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Now, Drake has pulled ahead of the British singer-songwriter, who descends slightly to tenth place.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes.com,
21 June 2026
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Avoid morning hours when flowers are damp with dew and late evening when dew descends on the garden.—
Megan Hughes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
18 June 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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And don't pulverize clay into dust—this worsens soil compaction.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
14 June 2026
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This worsens the inflammatory response to the initial infection, according to Fleming, who was not involved in the study.—
Angelica Stabile,
FOXNews.com,
8 June 2026
Verb
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That’s down to the 3D model producing a little less warming for a brighter Sun, the expectation that CO2 declines more slowly over time, and a slight expansion of the CO2 range believed to be survivable by plants.—
Scott K. Johnson,
ArsTechnica,
15 June 2026
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Scientists found that a protein called NOX4 naturally declines with age and inactivity.—
Kelly McGreal,
FOXNews.com,
14 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rots.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rots. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.
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