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
Behind her was an Aladdin’s cave of more than a hundred and fifty venerable gas ranges, some with polished chrome fixtures and others nearly rusted through.
—
Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2026
But when that car started rusting, it was taken down, and a police cruiser donated by GM in 1995 went up in its place.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 14 Jan. 2026
These artifacts, like the late 20th- and early 21st-century shipwrecks rusting in Caicos Banks, were monuments to the foundering dreams of successive generations, who tried and failed to make the land pay.
—Henry Wismayer, Travel + Leisure, 7 Jan. 2026
Subjected to the weather, propane tanks may rust and corrode.
—Lee Wallender, The Spruce, 4 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rust
Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2026
But when that car started rusting, it was taken down, and a police cruiser donated by GM in 1995 went up in its place.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 14 Jan. 2026
These artifacts, like the late 20th- and early 21st-century shipwrecks rusting in Caicos Banks, were monuments to the foundering dreams of successive generations, who tried and failed to make the land pay.
—Henry Wismayer, Travel + Leisure, 7 Jan. 2026
Subjected to the weather, propane tanks may rust and corrode.
—Lee Wallender, The Spruce, 4 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rust
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rust
Verb
-
Cast-iron pipes rot away after decades of exposure to waste and grease, and clay tiles become brittle and break over time.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
28 Feb. 2026
-
Zaber discourages doing too much work on trees that appear to be struggling, and sticking to the removal of clearly damaged, diseased, and rotting branches until the weather warms up.—
Nishaa Sharma,
The Spruce,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Structures started to decay under a building moratorium.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
27 Feb. 2026
-
For her, the little pink houses of our decaying American mythology are still haunted enough to give her a few more good short stories.—
Jon Dolan,
Rolling Stone,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Mushrooms also thrive in decomposing wood mulch.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
26 Feb. 2026
-
The clever bit is when these fuels flow through the Draper engine and encounter a catalyst that decomposes the hydrogen peroxide into high-pressure oxygen and steam.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
These products kill roots on contact without corroding the pipes or killing off the tree.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
28 Feb. 2026
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The planter, which is offered in five colors and three sizes, is made with durable steel that won’t corrode when it’s left outside.—
Jamie Weissman,
Better Homes & Gardens,
27 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rust.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rust. Accessed 5 Mar. 2026.
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