rotted 1 of 2

rotted

2 of 2

verb

past tense of rot

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 rotted
Adjective
Inspect fences and perform any repairs or maintenance, such as reinforcing posts or replacing rotted sections. Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 8 June 2026 Many grapes become too rotted and are left to wither away. John Mariani, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
Verb
While the timber has long since rotted away, the posts lined up to point directly at the rising sun during the summer solstice and the setting sun at the winter solstice — in the same way as Stonehenge. Elmira Aliieva, NBC news, 18 June 2026 The storm hit Jamaica on August 12, splintering three hundred homes, and 90 percent of banana crops rotted to black in the post-storm humidity. Literary Hub, 16 June 2026 Now the pages are yellowed; the rubber band rotted away years ago. Peter Hessler, New Yorker, 31 May 2026 That last line is a nod for the brain-rotted among us. Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 28 Apr. 2026 Uncollected garbage rotted in heaps, and people cued outside of bakeries for their daily government ration of bread. Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2026 Conley could’ve rotted away in Chicago. Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 16 Apr. 2026 The root system is completely rotted out of it, so winds, rain and anything can push that right over. Joe Holden, CBS News, 17 Mar. 2026 How to Plant Bare Root Roses Carefully inspect the roots and cut off any that are broken, cracked, rotted, or show signs of insect damage. Nadia Hassani, The Spruce, 26 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rotted
Adjective
  • Discard any that look dead or decayed.
    Helena Madden, Martha Stewart, 2 Apr. 2026
  • The farm buildings on the property—long verandas, shearing sheds, and concrete kennels—are old and decayed, remnants from long before the group showed up.
    Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • The relationship between Cassidy and Kennedy has deteriorated after Cassidy criticized Kennedy’s vaccine policies.
    Helen Branswell, STAT, 15 July 2026
  • What began as a low-level juvenile case became five years in secure custody as his behavior deteriorated and new charges accumulated.
    Christina Buttons, Washington Post, 14 July 2026
Verb
  • What remains that haven’t been scavenged have decomposed to the point where DNA analysis is difficult and all but useless in Gaza, where there are no functioning laboratories able to test and compare samples.
    Bilal Shbeir, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026
  • Remains of dogs too decomposed to be recovered were also found in the same field, the sheriff's office said.
    Jose Fabian, CBS News, 27 June 2026
Adjective
  • The family trees here have a lot of branches and some of them are a bit rotten.
    Randy Myers, Mercury News, 16 July 2026
  • The place to really advance the argument that something is rotten with elections is in the states, where officials have actual authority over the ballots, the drop boxes, the voting machines—the building blocks of elections.
    Hanna Rosin, The Atlantic, 16 July 2026
Verb
  • At the height of Venezuela’s earthquake response, as rescue crews searched crumbled and flattened buildings for signs of life, one worker named Tsunami was supposed to be taking a rare break in the shade.
    Tibisay Zea, Christian Science Monitor, 15 July 2026
  • With the mountain of new evidence presented by the prosecution during this week’s hearings, those theories have effectively crumbled.
    Jack Birle, The Washington Examiner, 11 July 2026
Verb
  • Flights in early 2025, though, ended in a series of failures including two in which the Starship upper stage disintegrated in a fiery cascade of debris across the skies visible from Florida and the Caribbean.
    Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 July 2026
  • In the two-thousands, after the State disintegrated, Wain and two other members, Michael Showalter and Michael Ian Black, formed the trio Stella, which helped define New York’s downtown alt-comedy scene.
    Michael Schulman, New Yorker, 5 July 2026
Adjective
  • The district also could be in for other major changes in the coming years, including the opening of a few new schools to replace multiple decaying, underenrolled schools.
    Scott Travis, Miami Herald, 15 May 2026
Verb
  • Rescue workers, including members of the Big Bear Fire Department, descended a hill below the support structure and found the victim.
    Seamus Bozeman Follow, Los Angeles Times, 17 July 2026
  • Visitors from the four corners of the soccer-worshipping earth descended upon our huge and beautifully chaotic country and a whole bunch of them seemed to fall in love with the place and its people.
    Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 17 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Rotted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rotted. Accessed 21 Jul. 2026.

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