rotting 1 of 3

adjective

as in rotted

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rotting

2 of 3

noun

as in decay

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Dissimilar Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in decomposing
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 rotting
Verb
Then came the cleanup of the rotting food, which included two freezers. — Julie Sharp, CBS News, 21 Aug. 2026 Tomatoes that have gone bad are typically soft or mushy, possibly with a rotting smell. — Jessica Farthing, Southern Living, 21 Aug. 2026 After the smoke subsided, residents reported feeling effects from the stench of rotting meat and food from the warehouse interior, where it had been stored frozen on tall racks that were hundreds of feet across. — Los Angeles Times, 20 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 Los Angeles residents of Boyle Heights are still living with the aftermath of a massive June 17 warehouse fire, as the stench of rotting food and ongoing pest problems continue to disrupt the neighborhood, according to reports. — Kelly McGreal, FOXNews.com, 18 Aug. 2026 Nothing puts a damper on a beach vacation like piles of brown seaweed rotting on what should be a beautiful sandy shoreline. — Meena Thiruvengadam, Travel + Leisure, 17 Aug. 2026 The Gordon Road Stand, the oldest in the EFL and barely 30 yards wide, was still standing, albeit slowly rotting away after being closed in the wake of the Bradford City fire disaster that claimed 56 lives in 1985. — Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2026 Fruit flies may also use your trash can and compost bin as a breeding ground, especially when there’s rotting food inside. — Emma Jacobson, Bon Appetit Magazine, 13 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
  • This is intended to minimize degradation, reducing contrast decay and improving light projection reliability, ultimately extending the screen's lifespan.
    — Michael Lydick, PC Magazine, 21 Aug. 2026
  • These numbers allowed researchers to rule out standard organic decay or high-temperature methane breakdown as the source.
    — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of decay
Verb
  • His deteriorating mental health comes up as a topic of discussion.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 22 Aug. 2026
  • In recent weeks, family members of Lincoln service members voiced worries about deteriorating mental health conditions aboard the ship, as well as sanitary conditions and food shortages.
    — Khaled Wassef, CBS News, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of deteriorating
Verb
  • But the last inspection was in October, 10 months before dozens of decomposing bodies were found at the South Chicago Chapel funeral home.
    — Megan De Mar, CBS News, 17 Aug. 2026
  • And just over a year after that, the Morgans landed back in the news after authorities found 56 decomposing corpses inside another one of their businesses, South Deering’s South Chicago Chapel.
    — Caroline Kubzansky, Chicago Tribune, 17 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
  • But advocates like VanDiver said the letters, alongside the crumbling of other programs like Temporary Protected Status and immigration application pauses, cause confusion and fear.
    — Ximena Bustillo, NPR, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Putin and his Kremlin oligarchs have confidently anticipated a crumbling of Western assistance for Ukraine.
    — Ihor N. Stelmach, Hartford Courant, 19 July 2026
Definition of crumbling
Verb
  • The Lincoln has been at sea for an extended deployment during the Iran war, which sparked concerns among lawmakers and military families after reports of the crew’s worsening mental health and conditions aboard.
    — Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026
  • For would-be pirates in a country currently grappling with drought, worsening food insecurity, and shrinking humanitarian assistance, the economic incentives and risk-reward balance may be too tempting to pass up.
    — Aparajita Saxena, CNBC, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of worsening
Verb
  • Teams must build enough psychological trust to disagree without disintegrating.
    — Bryan Robinson, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Others rot in the California sun, disintegrating into bony fragments.
    — Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 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 23 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of rotting for Spanish Speakers

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