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
There’s been a particular urgency lately, said Gutierrez, because the base of the sign is rusting and deteriorating.
—
R. Christian Smith, Chicago Tribune, 29 Mar. 2026
The underside of the bridge is rusting and deteriorating.
—Chris Hoffman, CBS News, 6 Mar. 2026
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
R. Christian Smith, Chicago Tribune, 29 Mar. 2026
The underside of the bridge is rusting and deteriorating.
—Chris Hoffman, CBS News, 6 Mar. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rusting
Verb
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Avoid storing cauliflower next to produce that produce ethylene gas (such as apples, melons, peaches, plums, pears, or mangoes), which will speed up the ripening (and eventual rotting) process.—
Heather Riske,
Better Homes & Gardens,
21 Apr. 2026
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The car was impounded the previous week after being abandoned in the Hollywood Hills, where neighbors complained of a rotting smell.—
Steven J. Horowitz,
Variety,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Carie Hallford was sentenced to 30 years for her role in a scheme that involved hiding nearly 200 decomposing bodies.—
Eduardo Cuevas,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2026
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The autopsy was performed in September 2025, days after the body was found decomposing in the Tesla's trunk at a Hollywood tow yard, but the results were ordered sealed by a judge as the Los Angeles Police Department and the county's District Attorney's Office built their case.—
Dean Fioresi,
CBS News,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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There was nothing quaint about the making of Apocalypse Now, for which Tavoularis created a nightmarish jungle kingdom with a decaying temple — inspired by the ancient Angkor Wat in Cambodia — as its centerpiece.—
Mike Barnes,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Apr. 2026
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By removing the decaying cells created by the high-salt diet, the drug allowed the remaining healthy tissue to maintain its elasticity and respond correctly to blood flow demands.—
Khloe Quill,
FOXNews.com,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In the Monday lawsuit, Maryland officials argue that DC Water was aware for over a decade before the January rupture that the Potomac Interceptor line was corroding and in need of replacement.—
Lily Carey,
Baltimore Sun,
20 Apr. 2026
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This confirmed the source as the reactor’s corroding nuclear fuel rather than background contamination from global fallout or nearby nuclear facilities.—
Munis Raza,
Interesting Engineering,
24 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rusting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rusting. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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