as in rotting
to form rust
The old car was left to rust in the yard of the abandoned house.
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Recent Examples of rusting
These prevent the tank itself from rusting and, if the rods are corroded, chances are your tank’s walls are next.
—
Caroline Lubinsky, Martha Stewart, 17 Feb. 2026
Due to its strength, contact with even a diluted bleach solution can cause pitting (localized, severe corrosion causing small holes) and rusting on blades.
—Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Feb. 2026
Check out these recommendations on how to properly store a cast-iron lid and keep your cast iron from rusting.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 21 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
But the salt air has taken a toll, and the stairways and landings going down to the beach were in bad shape with peeling paint, crumbling concrete steps and exposed, rusting rebar.
—Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Dec. 2025
Permafrost thaw is turning rivers orange As permafrost – the frozen ground that underlies much of the Arctic – continues its long-term warming and thaw, one emerging consequence is the spread of rusting rivers.
—Matthew L. Druckenmiller, The Conversation, 16 Dec. 2025
Researchers have observed higher acidity and a greater concentration of toxic metals in these rusting streams.
—Evan Bush, NBC news, 16 Dec. 2025
Caroline Lubinsky, Martha Stewart, 17 Feb. 2026
Due to its strength, contact with even a diluted bleach solution can cause pitting (localized, severe corrosion causing small holes) and rusting on blades.
—Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Feb. 2026
Check out these recommendations on how to properly store a cast-iron lid and keep your cast iron from rusting.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 21 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
But the salt air has taken a toll, and the stairways and landings going down to the beach were in bad shape with peeling paint, crumbling concrete steps and exposed, rusting rebar.
—Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Dec. 2025
Permafrost thaw is turning rivers orange As permafrost – the frozen ground that underlies much of the Arctic – continues its long-term warming and thaw, one emerging consequence is the spread of rusting rivers.
—Matthew L. Druckenmiller, The Conversation, 16 Dec. 2025
Researchers have observed higher acidity and a greater concentration of toxic metals in these rusting streams.
—Evan Bush, NBC news, 16 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rusting
Verb
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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
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The bacteria can be found in many places, according to the FDA, including in soil, water, sewage, rotting vegetation and animals.—
Rebecca Cohen,
NBC news,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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To prevent the fallow area from turning into a weed patch, cover it with agricultural-grade plastic or a thick layer of slowly decomposing mulch such as wood chips.—
Nadia Hassani,
The Spruce,
20 Feb. 2026
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Funk assures that the softened, decomposing cardboard will allow plants to grow through.—
Patricia Shannon,
Southern Living,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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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
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Melton said the decaying structures impact children walking to school, bring down property values and stand in the way of progress.—
Carole Carlson,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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As the song progresses, more elements—slow-moving filter sweeps, waltzing arpeggios, a deep and doomy bassline—appear and disappear, moving into the fore of the stereo field before corroding and flaking away.—
Dash Lewis,
Pitchfork,
29 Jan. 2026
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In the 1980s, I was impressed by Neil Postman’s book Amusing Ourselves to Death, which argued that television was corroding American society and democracy.—
Hillary Rodham Clinton,
The Atlantic,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rusting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rusting. Accessed 28 Feb. 2026.
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