rotting 1 of 3

adjective

as in rotted

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rotting

2 of 3

noun

as in decay

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rotting

3 of 3

verb

present participle of rot
1
as in deteriorating
to become worse or of less value the house slowly fell into disrepair and rotted

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in decomposing
to go through decomposition rotting vegetation on the bank of the river

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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 rotting
Verb
Flies buzz over the rotting carcass, which is riven by claw marks so unnaturally deep that no one can determine whomauledit. — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2026 Hornets are attracted to sugary and protein food scraps, rotting foods, and sticky residues. — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 3 Sep. 2026 Since then, the company has been working to remove approximately 88 million pounds of rotting food, including meat and fish that was stored inside. — Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026 The government still has not come up with a solution to the mountainous piles of rotting garbage that accumulate on the streets for months. — Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 31 Aug. 2026 Its paint was peeling, clapboards were rotting, and a tarp covered a leaking roof, according to the Times. — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 28 Aug. 2026 Those ailing leaves can be a sign of deeper problems such as rotting roots or a bug infestation, though sometimes, a yellowing leaf is just part of a monstera’s natural aging process. — Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 Aug. 2026 Then came the cleanup of the rotting food, which included two freezers. — Julie Sharp, CBS News, 21 Aug. 2026 Cleanup efforts, meanwhile, were continuing at the Lineage Logistics food-storage warehouse following the massive June 17 fire, with the stench of rotting food and pest problems disrupting the surrounding neighborhood, according to reports. — City News Service, Daily News, 19 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rotting
  1. rotted
  2. decay
  3. deteriorating
  4. decomposing
  5. decaying
  6. crumbling
  7. worsening
  8. disintegrating
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
Definition of rotted
Noun
  • Ewa Mroczkowska’s production design also turns dewy embankments, decadent interiors, and sunrises over cemeteries into visions of storybook-like decay.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2026
  • One of them in particular, portrayed with vicious snark by Vicky Krieps, revels in the moral decay of her times, thirsting for blood.
    — Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of decay
Verb
  • But even with its new foundation and sweeping ceiling, the history of the old, deteriorating barn won’t be lost.
    — Jenna Ebbers, Kansas City Star, 4 Sep. 2026
  • In the four months before killing her three children and attempting to kill herself, Lindsay Clancy desperately sought help for her deteriorating mental condition.
    — Tara Bannow, STAT, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of deteriorating
Verb
  • After receiving a complaint, police officers and a state regulator found more than 50 decomposing bodies at South Chicago Chapel in the city’s South Deering neighborhood.
    — Armando L. Sanchez, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026
  • As excavations for the foundation got underway, bones and decomposing bodies were found, releasing a horrid odor and spreading yellow fever across the island.
    — Victoria Davies, Rolling Stone, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of decomposing
Adjective
  • Liberal critics, however, argued—also rightly—that the Soviet Union was a decaying, economically crippled giant by the time Reagan was inaugurated.
    — Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 14 Aug. 2026
  • 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
Definition of decaying
Noun
  • The rest of the world is watching the crumbling of America’s economic relationship with its closest trading partner, and an administration that is calling into question the sanctity of free trade agreements generally.
    — Kate Nishimura, Footwear News, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Biting into it feels tectonic, cracking and flaking and crumbling, the gravity of umami keeping it all together.
    — The Bon Appétit Staff, Bon Appetit Magazine, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of crumbling
Verb
  • Notably, the study did not find that climate change is worsening the other half of the El Niño Southern Oscillation System — La Niña.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026
  • For critics, the carts are running amok, parking illegally, worsening congestion and unlocking another level of overtourism.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of worsening
Verb
  • With all the rain from storms recently, our streets and roads are disintegrating faster.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 23 Aug. 2026
  • In just four years, Keegan had spurred a disintegrating club into a united entity known for its energy and style, cherished as the ‘Entertainers’.
    — Michael Walker, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of disintegrating

Browse Nearby Words

rotters
rotting
rotund
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Cite this Entry

“Rotting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rotting. Accessed 7 Sep. 2026.

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