decompose 1 of 2

decomposition

2 of 2

noun

as in decay
the process by which dead organic matter separates into simpler substances the unmistakable smell of decomposition led us to some fruit that had fallen behind the refrigerator

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Examples 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 decompose
Verb
Cover the Pile Compost that is decomposing properly will heat up in the middle. Lauren David, Southern Living, 20 Nov. 2024 The biodegradable coffin allows the grave site to return to nature and the body to completely decompose, leaving minimal or even positive environmental impact. Livia Caligor, Architectural Digest, 31 Oct. 2024 Two co-owners of a Colorado funeral home where around 190 decomposing bodies were found last year pleaded guilty Thursday to federal fraud charges, officials said. Phil Helsel, NBC News, 24 Oct. 2024 Straw wattles are made from biodegradable materials and can be left in place to decompose over time, while contour logs or large tree branches offer a more natural-looking solution for rustic landscapes. Kristin Guy, Sunset Magazine, 31 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for decompose 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decompose
Verb
  • Wanting to prove that the substance was a byproduct of disintegrating chloramines, Wahman looked for it in drinking water systems across the US that used the chemical and compared it with systems in Switzerland that didn’t.
    Jen Christensen, CNN, 21 Nov. 2024
  • The debris – space rocks known as meteoroids – collides with Earth's atmosphere at high speed and disintegrates, creating fiery and colorful streaks in the sky, according to NASA.
    Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 4 Nov. 2024
Noun
  • In 1950, federal officials endorsed water fluoridation to prevent tooth decay, and the addition of low levels of fluoride to drinking water has long been considered one of the greatest public health achievements of the last century.
    Mike Stobbe, Los Angeles Times, 24 Nov. 2024
  • However, fluoride is currently added to drinking water at a concentration that’s high enough to strengthen teeth and help prevent tooth decay, but low enough to minimize potential health risks, per the recommendation of the U.S. Public Health Service.
    Elizabeth Yuko, Rolling Stone, 24 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • Unlike wooden garden furniture, plastic furniture would not rot, and unlike a glass bottle, plastic bottles would not shatter.
    David Carlin, Forbes, 6 Dec. 2024
  • This year, 37,000 people voted on six terms: brain rot, demure, dynamic pricing, lore, romantasy, and slop.
    Emily Dreibelbis Forlini, PCMAG, 2 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • After extended skin contact, the wine was pressed and returned to barrels for malolactic fermentation and aging, at which point the Petit Verdot was blended in.
    John Mariani, Forbes, 12 Dec. 2024
  • After manual harvest the grapes are pressed gently and fermentation is allowed to occur.
    Mike DeSimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 6 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • Kellogg’s thinking on constipation, that anything less than three bowel movements a day risked dangerous intestinal putrefaction, was shaped by the emerging germ theory of disease and the ascent of bacteriology as a discipline through the closing decades of the 19th century.
    Elsa Richardson, TIME, 3 Oct. 2024
  • Not the smell of putrefaction, though the novel is littered with rotting corpses.
    Nathaniel Rich, The New York Review of Books, 30 Nov. 2023

Thesaurus Entries Near decompose

Cite this Entry

“Decompose.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decompose. Accessed 17 Dec. 2024.

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