rot

1 of 2

verb

ˈrät

rotted; rotting

intransitive verb

: to undergo decomposition from the action of bacteria or fungi

: to become unsound or weak (as from use or chemical action)

: to go to ruin : deteriorate

: to become morally corrupt : degenerate

transitive verb

: to cause to decompose or deteriorate with or as if with rot

rot

2 of 2

noun

: the process of rotting : the state of being rotten : decay

: something rotten or rotting

archaic : a wasting putrescent disease

: any of several parasitic diseases especially of sheep marked by necrosis and wasting

: plant disease marked by breakdown of tissues and caused especially by fungi or bacteria

: nonsense

—often used interjectionally

Synonyms

Verb

atrophy
crumble
decay
decline
degenerate
descend
deteriorate
devolve
ebb
regress
retrograde
sink
worsen

Noun

applesauce [slang]
balderdash
baloney
boloney
beans
bilge
blah
blah-blah
blarney
blather
blatherskite
blither
bosh
bull [slang]
bunk
bunkum
buncombe
claptrap
codswallop [British]
crapola [slang]
crock
drivel
drool
fiddle
fiddle-faddle
fiddlesticks
flannel [British]
flapdoodle
folderol
falderal
folly
foolishness
fudge
garbage
guff
hogwash
hokeypokey
hokum
hoodoo
hooey
horsefeathers [slang]
humbug
humbuggery
jazz
malarkey
malarky
moonshine
muck
nerts [slang]
nonsense
nuts
piffle
poppycock
punk
rubbish
senselessness
silliness
slush
stupidity
taradiddle
tarradiddle
tommyrot
tosh
trash
trumpery
twaddle

See all Synonyms & Antonyms

Example Sentences

Verb The wood had rotted away. The apples were left to rot. the smell of rotting garbage Eating too much candy can rot your teeth. Noun They found a lot of rot in the house's roof. That's a lot of rot! See More

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Sun damage, rot, and wear from general use can cause wood to decay and split, posing safety risks and creating visual eyesores.

Kamron Sanders, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Aug. 2022 Its rot-resistant wood was ideal for the railroad ties, telegraph poles, and fence posts that helped connect and carve up the young nation.

BostonGlobe.com, 30 Aug. 2022 Water when the soil is dry to the touch, but be careful not to flood it with water (especially if your plant is in a decorative pot without drainage) because overwatering can cause the leaf to rot.

Jennifer Aldrich, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 Aug. 2022 It’s forgiving in low-light conditions, and has no roots to rot.

New York Times, 26 Nov. 2021 Unlike elephants, slaughtered for their tusks and left to rot on the ground, whales were hunted for the oil that came from their blubber.

Willard Spiegelman, WSJ, 29 July 2022 Over the years the enormous, elaborate wooden altarpiece had been hastily disassembled and transported to safety, claimed as a spoil of war, tossed aside and left to rot.

Joshua Hammer, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 May 2022 When installing wall panels in a damp area, such as a bathroom, consider using imitation products made of durable materials, like fiberboard, that won't rot or warp when exposed to moisture.

Caitlin Sole, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Aug. 2022 Add to that amount all the emissions from the entire food system—clearing land, producing fertilizer, shipping food around the world, and letting our food waste rot in landfills—and that total jumps to one third.

Matthew Hayek, The New Republic, 2 Aug. 2022

Noun

Check them regularly and discard any that show signs of rot.

Rita Pelczar, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 Aug. 2022 The rot has already begun in the U.K., where a BARB survey published this week found a 2% quarter-on-quarter decline in the number of British households with any SVOD service.

Patrick Frater, Variety, 5 Aug. 2022 This quartet not only sells that reality, but offers four startlingly different portraits of the ways the toxic substance exposes their own rot.

Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 6 May 2022 There’s no relationship or acquisition in Succession that hasn’t been poisoned, and the characters are defined by how visible their moral rot has become.

Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Jan. 2022 But its rot was emblematic of the whole company, as a cynical and predatory attitude came to characterize most of its products to the eventual detriment of its bottom line.

Ryan Cooper, The Week, 19 Jan. 2022 The winter was extremely cold, the spring and early summer were dry, August was rainy and then a rot arrived at the end of ripening.

Tori Latham, Robb Report, 15 July 2022 Godaam, for instance, has leveraged the internet of things technology to find solutions to this problem and used devices that would inform farmers via text messages about rot setting in.

Mimansa Verma, Quartz, 11 July 2022 This type of tomato rot is simply a condition that usually resolves when your plants get consistent soil moisture.

Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 July 2022 See More

rot 1 of 2

noun

as in garbage

language, behavior, or ideas that are absurd and contrary to good sense I won't stand here and listen to such rot

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

garbage
nuts
nonsense
rubbish
blah
muck
drool
stupidity
silliness
trash
bunk
foolishness
bilge
jazz
beans
blither
insanity
madness
punk
craziness
crock
baloney
twaddle
claptrap
bull
guff
flapdoodle
hogwash
fiddle
balderdash
bunkum
humbuggery
fudge
poppycock
boloney
tosh
tommyrot
blatherskite
bosh
trumpery
hokum
malarkey
folly
fiddlesticks
blather
hooey
crapola
piffle
falderal
drivel
malarky
hokeypokey
folderol
applesauce
absurdity
blah-blah
nerts
taradiddle
idiocy
slush
humbug
horsefeathers
codswallop
senselessness
buncombe
tarradiddle
blarney
hoodoo
fiddle-faddle
moonshine
imbecility
flannel
gas
greek
absurdness
lunacy
inanity
inaneness
tomfoolery
foolery
hot air
fatuity
witlessness
monkey business
asininity
shenanigan(s)
kookiness
rigmarole
monkeyshine(s)
rigamarole
hoity-toity
hocus-pocus
double-talk

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

rationality
sensibleness
sense
horse sense
reasonableness
judgement
judgment
reasonability
wisdom
common sense
levelheadedness
discernment

as in decomposition

the process by which dead organic matter separates into simpler substances the rot begins shortly after the fish are killed

Synonyms & Similar Words

decomposition
decay
festering
putrefaction
spoilage
fermentation
putrescence
corruption
crumbling
disintegration
breakdown
moldering
curdling
souring
dissolution

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

maturation
growth
ripening

rot

2 of 2

verb

as in to deteriorate

to become worse or of less value the house slowly fell into disrepair and rotted

Synonyms & Similar Words

deteriorate
crumble
worsen
decline
descend
decay
atrophy
degenerate
sink
diminish
devolve
ebb
regress
weaken
sag
disintegrate
retrograde
fall
decompose
run to seed
putrefy
wane
degrade
recede
sour
dilapidate
dwindle
molder
corrupt
go to pot
languish
go to seed
reduce
spoil
wilt
downsize
abate
slip
undermine
droop
lower
lessen
lag
debilitate
break down
fail
run down
flag
de-escalate
waste (away)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

improve
ameliorate
better
intensify
strengthen
upgrade
enrich
meliorate
develop
enhance
proceed
fortify
heighten
progress
march
advance

as in to decay

to go through decomposition rotting vegetation on the bank of the river

Synonyms & Similar Words

decay
decompose
disintegrate
fester
mold
putrefy
perish
deteriorate
corrupt
spoil
molder
crumble
rust
fall apart
foul
sour
descend
contaminate
taint
turn
ferment
break down
run to seed
pollute
wither
degenerate
go to seed
defile
sink
dilapidate
decline
addle
turn off
curdle
mortify

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

grow
ripen
mature
develop
restore
age
refresh
renew
cleanse
purify
improve
better
ameliorate
integrate
assemble
compose
meliorate

Synonym Chooser

Some common synonyms of rot are decay, decompose, putrefy, and spoil. While all these words mean "to undergo destructive dissolution," rot is a close synonym of decompose and often connotes foulness.

fruit was left to rot in warehouses

The words decay and rot are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, decay implies a slow change from a state of soundness or perfection.

a decaying mansion

The words decompose and rot can be used in similar contexts, but decompose stresses a breaking down by chemical change and when applied to organic matter a corruption.

the strong odor of decomposing vegetation

While in some cases nearly identical to rot, putrefy implies the rotting of animal matter and offensiveness to sight and smell.

corpses putrefying on the battlefield

While the synonyms spoil and rot are close in meaning, spoil applies chiefly to the decomposition of foods.

keep the ham from spoiling

单词	rot
释义	rot 1 of 2 verb ˈrät rotted; rotting intransitive verb 1 a : to undergo decomposition from the action of bacteria or fungi b : to become unsound or weak (as from use or chemical action) 2 a : to go to ruin : deteriorate b : to become morally corrupt : degenerate transitive verb : to cause to decompose or deteriorate with or as if with rot rot 2 of 2 noun 1 a : the process of rotting : the state of being rotten : decay b : something rotten or rotting 2 a archaic : a wasting putrescent disease b : any of several parasitic diseases especially of sheep marked by necrosis and wasting c : plant disease marked by breakdown of tissues and caused especially by fungi or bacteria 3 : nonsense —often used interjectionally Synonyms Verb atrophy crumble decay decline degenerate descend deteriorate devolve ebb regress retrograde sink worsen Noun applesauce [slang] balderdash baloney boloney beans bilge blah blah-blah blarney blather blatherskite blither bosh bull [slang] bunk bunkum buncombe claptrap codswallop [British] crapola [slang] crock drivel drool fiddle fiddle-faddle fiddlesticks flannel [British] flapdoodle folderol falderal folly foolishness fudge garbage guff hogwash hokeypokey hokum hoodoo hooey horsefeathers [slang] humbug humbuggery jazz malarkey malarky moonshine muck nerts [slang] nonsense nuts piffle poppycock punk rubbish senselessness silliness slush stupidity taradiddle tarradiddle tommyrot tosh trash trumpery twaddle See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Verb The wood had rotted away. The apples were left to rot. the smell of rotting garbage Eating too much candy can rot your teeth. Noun They found a lot of rot in the house's roof. That's a lot of rot! See More Recent Examples on the Web Verb Sun damage, rot, and wear from general use can cause wood to decay and split, posing safety risks and creating visual eyesores. Kamron Sanders, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Aug. 2022 Its rot-resistant wood was ideal for the railroad ties, telegraph poles, and fence posts that helped connect and carve up the young nation. BostonGlobe.com, 30 Aug. 2022 Water when the soil is dry to the touch, but be careful not to flood it with water (especially if your plant is in a decorative pot without drainage) because overwatering can cause the leaf to rot. Jennifer Aldrich, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 Aug. 2022 It’s forgiving in low-light conditions, and has no roots to rot. New York Times, 26 Nov. 2021 Unlike elephants, slaughtered for their tusks and left to rot on the ground, whales were hunted for the oil that came from their blubber. Willard Spiegelman, WSJ, 29 July 2022 Over the years the enormous, elaborate wooden altarpiece had been hastily disassembled and transported to safety, claimed as a spoil of war, tossed aside and left to rot. Joshua Hammer, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 May 2022 When installing wall panels in a damp area, such as a bathroom, consider using imitation products made of durable materials, like fiberboard, that won't rot or warp when exposed to moisture. Caitlin Sole, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Aug. 2022 Add to that amount all the emissions from the entire food system—clearing land, producing fertilizer, shipping food around the world, and letting our food waste rot in landfills—and that total jumps to one third. Matthew Hayek, The New Republic, 2 Aug. 2022 Noun Check them regularly and discard any that show signs of rot. Rita Pelczar, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 Aug. 2022 The rot has already begun in the U.K., where a BARB survey published this week found a 2% quarter-on-quarter decline in the number of British households with any SVOD service. Patrick Frater, Variety, 5 Aug. 2022 This quartet not only sells that reality, but offers four startlingly different portraits of the ways the toxic substance exposes their own rot. Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 6 May 2022 There’s no relationship or acquisition in Succession that hasn’t been poisoned, and the characters are defined by how visible their moral rot has become. Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Jan. 2022 But its rot was emblematic of the whole company, as a cynical and predatory attitude came to characterize most of its products to the eventual detriment of its bottom line. Ryan Cooper, The Week, 19 Jan. 2022 The winter was extremely cold, the spring and early summer were dry, August was rainy and then a rot arrived at the end of ripening. Tori Latham, Robb Report, 15 July 2022 Godaam, for instance, has leveraged the internet of things technology to find solutions to this problem and used devices that would inform farmers via text messages about rot setting in. Mimansa Verma, Quartz, 11 July 2022 This type of tomato rot is simply a condition that usually resolves when your plants get consistent soil moisture. Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 July 2022 See More Word History Etymology Verb Middle English roten, from Old English rotian; akin to Old High German rōzzēn to rot First Known Use Verb before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a Noun 14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a Phrases Containing rot bit rot black rot brown rot dry rot ear rot foot rot noble rot left to rot in jail/prison soft rot root rot stop the rot the rot sets in See More bit rot black rot brown rot dry rot ear rot foot rot noble rot left to rot in jail/prison soft rot root rot stop the rot the rot sets in See More Kids Definition rot 1 of 2 verb ˈrät rotted; rotting 1 : to undergo decay 2 : to go to ruin He was left to rot in jail. rot 2 of 2 noun 1 : the process of decaying : the state of being decayed 2 : something that has decayed or is decaying Medical Definition rot 1 of 2 intransitive verb ˈrät rotted; rotting : to undergo decomposition from the action of bacteria or fungi rot 2 of 2 noun 1 : the process of rotting : the state of being rotten 2 : any of several parasitic diseases especially of sheep marked by necrosis and wasting rot 1 of 2 noun 1 as in garbage language, behavior, or ideas that are absurd and contrary to good sense I won't stand here and listen to such rot Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance garbage nuts nonsense rubbish blah muck drool stupidity silliness trash bunk foolishness bilge jazz beans blither insanity madness punk craziness crock baloney twaddle claptrap bull guff flapdoodle hogwash fiddle balderdash bunkum humbuggery fudge poppycock boloney tosh tommyrot blatherskite bosh trumpery hokum malarkey folly fiddlesticks blather hooey crapola piffle falderal drivel malarky hokeypokey folderol applesauce absurdity blah-blah nerts taradiddle idiocy slush humbug horsefeathers codswallop senselessness buncombe tarradiddle blarney hoodoo fiddle-faddle moonshine imbecility flannel gas greek absurdness lunacy inanity inaneness tomfoolery foolery hot air fatuity witlessness monkey business asininity shenanigan(s) kookiness rigmarole monkeyshine(s) rigamarole hoity-toity hocus-pocus double-talk Antonyms & Near Antonyms rationality sensibleness sense horse sense reasonableness judgement judgment reasonability wisdom common sense levelheadedness discernment See More 2 as in decomposition the process by which dead organic matter separates into simpler substances the rot begins shortly after the fish are killed Synonyms & Similar Words decomposition decay festering putrefaction spoilage fermentation putrescence corruption crumbling disintegration breakdown moldering curdling souring dissolution Antonyms & Near Antonyms maturation growth ripening rot 2 of 2 verb 1 as in to deteriorate to become worse or of less value the house slowly fell into disrepair and rotted Synonyms & Similar Words deteriorate crumble worsen decline descend decay atrophy degenerate sink diminish devolve ebb regress weaken sag disintegrate retrograde fall decompose run to seed putrefy wane degrade recede sour dilapidate dwindle molder corrupt go to pot languish go to seed reduce spoil wilt downsize abate slip undermine droop lower lessen lag debilitate break down fail run down flag de-escalate waste (away) Antonyms & Near Antonyms improve ameliorate better intensify strengthen upgrade enrich meliorate develop enhance proceed fortify heighten progress march advance See More 2 as in to decay to go through decomposition rotting vegetation on the bank of the river Synonyms & Similar Words decay decompose disintegrate fester mold putrefy perish deteriorate corrupt spoil molder crumble rust fall apart foul sour descend contaminate taint turn ferment break down run to seed pollute wither degenerate go to seed defile sink dilapidate decline addle turn off curdle mortify Antonyms & Near Antonyms grow ripen mature develop restore age refresh renew cleanse purify improve better ameliorate integrate assemble compose meliorate See More Synonym Chooser Some common synonyms of rot are decay, decompose, putrefy, and spoil. While all these words mean "to undergo destructive dissolution," rot is a close synonym of decompose and often connotes foulness. fruit was left to rot in warehouses The words decay and rot are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, decay implies a slow change from a state of soundness or perfection. a decaying mansion The words decompose and rot can be used in similar contexts, but decompose stresses a breaking down by chemical change and when applied to organic matter a corruption. the strong odor of decomposing vegetation While in some cases nearly identical to rot, putrefy implies the rotting of animal matter and offensiveness to sight and smell. corpses putrefying on the battlefield While the synonyms spoil and rot are close in meaning, spoil applies chiefly to the decomposition of foods. keep the ham from spoiling
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rot

verb

noun

Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

Phrases Containing rot

Kids Definition

verb

noun

Medical Definition

intransitive verb

noun

noun

verb

Synonym Chooser