RUST Synonyms: 76 Similar and Opposite Words

rust

verb

Definition of rust

as in to rot

to form rust The old car was left to rust in the yard of the abandoned house.

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

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 rust In addition to the physical manifestation — the rusting fort jutting out of the water — Sealand will stay alive online, due in large part to the very idea of its founding. — Brit McCandless Farmer, CBS News, 12 July 2026 Boltanski’s haunting installation consists of rusting archive boxes stacked to form dark, narrow passageways. — Jeff Chu, Travel + Leisure, 6 July 2026 Anyone caught on the receiving end of a DIY soccer cleat loaded with sharp, likely rusting metal nails probably wasn’t getting back up to finish the game. — Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 2 July 2026 Part of the fun is how Young himself refuses to rust into a nostalgia act. — Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 25 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for rust

Recent Examples of Synonyms for rust

Verb

More than 85 million pounds of food were being stored at the warehouse, and as of Wednesday, 3,195 tons of the now-rotting material had been removed from the site, according to Lineage.

— City News Service, Daily News, 25 July 2026
But in the weeks since, the stench of rotting food has drifted into nearby neighborhoods.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 25 July 2026

Definition of rot

Verb

Blackwater of the Okefenokee Swamp, caused by tannins leached from decaying vegetation, reflects cypress trees at the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Tuesday, August 12, 2025, in Folkston.

— Charles Seabrook, AJC.com, 25 July 2026
During the second inspection, inspectors found decaying organic waste, wastewater, food residue, unsanitary conditions that allowed the breeding of flies, as well as live and dead flies along the northern perimeter of the warehouse.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 25 July 2026

Definition of decay

Verb

Authorities said the remains included bones believed to belong to four newborns and the decomposing body of a fifth.

— Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 29 July 2026
Ament revisited his archive of decomposing negatives with his brother, designer Barry Ament, a few years ago.

— Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 29 July 2026

Definition of decompose

Browse Nearby Words

rushing

rust

rusted

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Rust.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rust. Accessed 3 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of rust

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on rust

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

mitigate

Popular in Grammar & Usage

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

Popular in Wordplay

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

How long is a jiffy?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

Popular

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Games & Quizzes