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
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
Steel/Wrought-Iron Furniture Steel or wrought iron is an excellent choice for highly durable outdoor furniture, but these materials are significantly more susceptible to rusting than aluminum.
—Timothy Dale, Better Homes & Gardens, 13 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
Removing Stains From Bathtubs Stains in your bathtub can occur due to a variety of reasons, including rusting (if the tub is made of iron or steel), mold, mildew, dirt, residue from hard water and soap scum, or just plain old aging.
—Daley Quinn, Southern Living, 22 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
These pots are exactly like the ones described above, except that they have been coated in porcelain enamel in order to protect them from rusting.
—Emily Johnson, Bon Appetit Magazine, 22 Sep. 2025
Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 14 Jan. 2026
Steel/Wrought-Iron Furniture Steel or wrought iron is an excellent choice for highly durable outdoor furniture, but these materials are significantly more susceptible to rusting than aluminum.
—Timothy Dale, Better Homes & Gardens, 13 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
Removing Stains From Bathtubs Stains in your bathtub can occur due to a variety of reasons, including rusting (if the tub is made of iron or steel), mold, mildew, dirt, residue from hard water and soap scum, or just plain old aging.
—Daley Quinn, Southern Living, 22 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
These pots are exactly like the ones described above, except that they have been coated in porcelain enamel in order to protect them from rusting.
—Emily Johnson, Bon Appetit Magazine, 22 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rusting
Verb
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Such rotting fruit from the forest floor contained higher concentrations of fermenting yeast and alcohol than the fruits hanging from trees.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Their roots need air, and soil can be too dense and lead to rotting roots.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Investigators later searched the Ephrata home and storage unit of Jonathan Christ Gerlach, 34, and reported finding more than 100 human skulls, long bones, mummified hands and feet, two decomposing torsos and other skeletal items.—
Mark Scolforo,
Fortune,
9 Jan. 2026
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For nearly two weeks before embarking on the cross-country road trip, the teenager lived with his parents’ decomposing bodies.—
David Zimmermann,
The Washington Examiner,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In essence, this would mean that alpha particles (helium nuclei) released by decaying uranium (or some other fissile material) would be focused through engine nozzles to generate thrust.—
Matthew S Williams,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Jan. 2026
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By the time of his death in 2013, Venezuela’s economy was already decaying, its institutions hollowed, and its future mortgaged.—
Duncan S. DeMarsh,
The Orlando Sentinel,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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But researchers have previously expressed concern over damage to sea beds caused by turbine construction, and leaching of toxic materials from corroding metals.—
Tom Chivers,
semafor.com,
19 Dec. 2025
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The failure of the West’s big bet on corroding the great Eurasian authoritarians has, for the time being, turned the West against itself.—
Stephen Kotkin,
Foreign Affairs,
16 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rusting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rusting. Accessed 17 Jan. 2026.
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