Word forms: 3rd person singular presenttense decomposes, present participle decomposing, past tense, past participle decomposed
verb
When things such as dead plants or animals decompose, or when something decomposes them, they change chemically and begin to decay.
...a dead body found decomposing in a wood. [VERB]
The debris slowly decomposes into compost. [VERB + into]
The fertiliser releases nutrients gradually as bacteria decompose it. [VERB noun]
decomposedadjective
The body was too badly decomposed to be identified at once.
More Synonyms of decompose
decompose in British English
(ˌdiːkəmˈpəʊz)
verb
1.
to break down (organic matter) or (of organic matter) to be broken down physically and chemically by bacterialor fungal action; rot
2. chemistry
to break down or cause to break down into simpler chemical compounds
3.
to break up or separate into constituent parts
4. (transitive) mathematics
to express in terms of a number of independent simpler components, as a set as a canonical union of disjoint subsets, or a vector into orthogonal components
Derived forms
decomposable (ˌdecomˈposable)
adjective
decomposability (ˌdecomˌposaˈbility)
noun
decomposition (ˌdiːkɒmpəˈzɪʃən)
noun
decompose in American English
(ˌdikəmˈpoʊz)
verb transitive, verb intransitiveWord forms: ˌdecomˈposed or ˌdecomˈposing
1.
to break up or separate into basic components or parts
2.
to rot
SIMILAR WORDS: deˈcay
Derived forms
decomposable (ˌdecomˈposable)
adjective
decomposition (ˌdecompoˈsition) (ˌdikɑmpəˈzɪʃən)
noun
Word origin
Fr décomposer: see de- & compose
Examples of 'decompose' in a sentence
decompose
A cardiac machine in the garage is used to keep the heart pumping, while stabilising drugs are injected to stop the body decomposing in the hospital.
The Sun (2016)
His decomposing body was in a suitcase in the bathroom.
The Sun (2010)
His body was decomposing as the nation struggled towards a new beginning.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Her body was found decomposing in a plastic container last week.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
His decomposing body was found on Wednesday stuffed into a suitcase inside a brick shed in the family's back garden.
The Sun (2008)
In other languages
decompose
British English: decompose VERB
When things such as dead plants or animals decompose, or when something decomposes them, they change chemically and begin to decay.
...a dead body found decomposing in a wood.
American English: decompose
Brazilian Portuguese: decompor-se
Chinese: 分解
European Spanish: descomponerse
French: se décomposer
German: verwesen
Italian: decomporsi
Japanese: 分解する
Korean: 썩어 없어지다
European Portuguese: decompor-se
Latin American Spanish: descomponerse
1 (verb)
Definition
to rot
foods which decompose and rot
Synonyms
rot
The grain will start rotting in the silos.
spoil
Fats spoil by becoming tainted.
corrupt
crumble
decay
The dead leaves slowly decayed.
perish
The rubber lining had perished.
fester
The food will fester and go to waste.
corrode
moulder
the empty, mouldering old house
go bad
putrefy (formal)
the stench of corpses putrefying in the sweltering heat
2 (verb)
Definition
to break up or separate into constituent parts
Plastics take years to decompose.
Synonyms
break down
break up
crumble
Under the pressure, the flint crumbled into fragments.
The chalk cliffs are crumbling.
deteriorate
X-rays are used to prevent fresh food from deteriorating.
fall apart
The work was never finished and bit by bit the building fell apart.