as in to rot
to form rust
The old car was left to rust in the yard of the abandoned house.
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Recent Examples of rust
Old mine buildings and rusting machinery slowly decay, some of them now submerged in floodwaters.
—
Tommy Trenchard, NPR, 23 Aug. 2025
The structure is made of metal that’s resistant to rust, water, and sun.
—Isabel Garcia, People.com, 21 Aug. 2025
The beams in the Palm House at Kew Gardens are rusting.
—Elizabeth Kolbert, New Yorker, 9 Aug. 2025
Additional reports documented rusting meat racks, doors that failed to close completely and staff who ignored required handwashing stations.
—Jonel Aleccia, Chicago Tribune, 8 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rust
Tommy Trenchard, NPR, 23 Aug. 2025
The structure is made of metal that’s resistant to rust, water, and sun.
—Isabel Garcia, People.com, 21 Aug. 2025
The beams in the Palm House at Kew Gardens are rusting.
—Elizabeth Kolbert, New Yorker, 9 Aug. 2025
Additional reports documented rusting meat racks, doors that failed to close completely and staff who ignored required handwashing stations.
—Jonel Aleccia, Chicago Tribune, 8 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rust
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rust
Verb
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Kotevska turns her camera on agonizing scenes of Nikola and his family all but abandoning their potatoes, along with watermelon and other crops, and leaving them to rot because selling them makes no sense.—
Christian Blauvelt,
IndieWire,
29 Aug. 2025
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In the daytime, the pair encountered the planarians, often called hammerhead worms, hiding under rotting logs or rocks.—
Lauren Liebhaber,
Miami Herald,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Researchers from each, plus the United States, were attempting to decipher the challenges presented by opposing either a regime or a decaying democracy.—
Ron Scherf,
Time,
5 Sep. 2025
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Their decaying carcasses led to the rapid deterioration of water quality and an explosion of harmful bacteria, researchers said.—
Lauren Liebhaber
September 5,
Miami Herald,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The farm worked with Ducks Unlimited for a different conservation easement applicable to its rice fields, and was an early adopter of post-harvest flood practices to decompose rice straw left over from harvest.—
Jake Goodrick,
Sacbee.com,
4 Sep. 2025
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While strontium aluminate can readily decompose in plants, posing harm to plant tissue, Liu said, the scientists developed a chemical coating for the material that acts as a protective barrier.—
Issy Ronald,
CNN Money,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Acidic ingredients can corrode the foil, causing aluminum to leach into the food, which may result in a metallic taste.—
Katie Rosenhouse,
Southern Living,
31 Aug. 2025
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Risk perceptions keep capital in safe markets, compliance-heavy rules choke local access, and misinformation corrodes trust in the very tools meant to help.—
Felicia Jackson,
Forbes.com,
29 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rust.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rust. Accessed 8 Sep. 2025.
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