decompose
verb /ˌdiːkəmˈpəʊz/
/ˌdiːkəmˈpəʊz/
Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they decompose | /ˌdiːkəmˈpəʊz/ /ˌdiːkəmˈpəʊz/ |
| he / she / it decomposes | /ˌdiːkəmˈpəʊzɪz/ /ˌdiːkəmˈpəʊzɪz/ |
| past simple decomposed | /ˌdiːkəmˈpəʊzd/ /ˌdiːkəmˈpəʊzd/ |
| past participle decomposed | /ˌdiːkəmˈpəʊzd/ /ˌdiːkəmˈpəʊzd/ |
| -ing form decomposing | /ˌdiːkəmˈpəʊzɪŋ/ /ˌdiːkəmˈpəʊzɪŋ/ |
- [intransitive, transitive] to be destroyed gradually after death by natural processes synonym decay, rot
- a decomposing corpse
- The garden was dank with decomposing vegetation.
- decompose something a decomposed body
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryphrases- badly decomposed
- partially decomposed
- partly decomposed
- …
- [intransitive, transitive] decompose (something) (into something) (chemistry) (of a chemical compound) to break down something into smaller and simpler parts; to break a substance down into smaller and simpler parts
- Water decomposes into oxygen and hydrogen.
- As the waste materials decompose, they produce methane gas.
Word Originmid 18th cent. (in the sense ‘separate into simpler constituents’): from French décomposer, from de- (expressing reversal) + composer.