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.

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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 The construction will focus on various structural issues around the facility, including water damage, rusting steel, and over three decades-old industrial chillers. — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 5 Sep. 2026 Justice Department lawyers have argued that the building needs extensive repairs, citing water damage and rusting steel, according to The Hill. — Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2026 Stainless steel doesn't simply rust like ordinary carbon steel or iron, largely because of its chromium content. — New Atlas, 3 Sep. 2026 Paint has worn off and the metal underneath is rusted on the 1,092-foot warship, which is one of the largest in the world. — Mosheh Gains, NBC news, 2 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for rust

Recent Examples of Synonyms for rust

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
They shouldn’t be stored below 45 degrees because chilling can cause internal damage and eventually contribute to breakdown and rot, explains Gregorie.

— Lynn Andriani, Martha Stewart, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of rot

Verb

The book takes on the form of a journal by Utsugi, an aging patriarch, who, recovering from a stroke, discovers that while his body is decaying, his libido rages on.

— Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 4 Sep. 2026
Some detest the compost odor; others say decaying food attracts rats.

— Emily Staunton, Christian Science Monitor, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of decay

Verb

One of its major objectives was to provoke Western states into attacking their own democracies, in a kind of auto-immune response to terrorism, in which the effort to defend the political body corroded it from within.

— Faisal Devji, Time, 11 Sep. 2026
Constant vigilance against the presence of AI inevitably begets cynicism and threatens to corrode the teacher-student relationship that is at the heart of education.

— Dónal Gill, The Dial, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of corrode

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rushing

rust

rusted

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“Rust.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rust. Accessed 17 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of rust

verb

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