rusting

verb

present participle of rust
as in rotting
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 rusting Christmas decorations linger into summer, and grasses grow high through rusting cars. — Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026 This is particularly necessary for knives made from high-carbon steel, which are prone to rusting. — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 25 Sep. 2026 Preparing for a possible attack, the gunner fired a heavy-caliber round from his rusting weapon. — Nic Robertson, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2026 It’s designed to stand up to harsh weather conditions without rusting or corroding—no furniture covers needed—and comes partially pre-assembled for breezy setup. — Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Sep. 2026 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 The car had spent years being stored out in the open, rusting away beneath a carport in Miami’s Coconut Grove district. — Howard Walker, Robb Report, 31 Aug. 2026 The rusting hull — once a famed vessel known as the Slovenian — surfaced earlier this month from the Sava River near the Serbian town of Sremska Mitrovica, 45 miles northwest of the capital of Belgrade. — CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rusting
  1. rotting
  2. decomposing
  3. decaying
  4. corroding
Verb
  • Clean The Garden Don’t keep the garden too close to your house, and make sure to clean up any fallen or rotting vegetables and plants that have died back.
    — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Adding rotting fruit to the mix is only going to invite more damage to your yard and home.
    — Louise Parks, Martha Stewart, 31 Oct. 2026
Definition of rotting
Verb
  • The body of 76-year-old Ronald Tyler was already decomposing by the time his daughter Terri found out where he was being stored.
    — Dave Savini, CBS News, 27 Oct. 2026
  • If soil amendment is needed, first add compost and decomposing leaves to the garden soil.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of decomposing
Verb
  • Many small towns, particularly across the Rust Belt, are acutely sensitive to the risks of an industry swooping in for a few sweet decades before disappearing, leaving decaying facilities and a local economy in turmoil.
    — Sara Herschander, Vox, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Old, decaying fruit can get awfully messy, but maybe nature can take it from here, returning it to the soil or offering it up to the animals.
    — Louise Parks, Martha Stewart, 31 Oct. 2026
Definition of decaying
Verb
  • Deflation and the growing debt burden are also corroding the financial system, which will ultimately require large write-offs and recapitalization from the government budget to prevent credit growth from slowing further.
    — Oliver Melton, Foreign Affairs, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Early molten salt methods failed to keep the salt bath from corroding the valuable silicon substrate.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of corroding

Browse Nearby Words

rustics
rusting
rustle
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Cite this Entry

“Rusting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rusting. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026.

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