rotted; rotting
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
: to cause to decompose or deteriorate with or as if with rot
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
Examples of rot in a Sentence
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!
Recent Examples on the Web
Will Dunham, USA TODAY, 3 July 2024
Injury-prone ants Reddish-brown Florida carpenter ants, which reach about 1.5 centimeters (about three-fifths of an inch) in length, can be found nesting in rotting wood throughout the southeastern United States.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 3 July 2024
Abbey White, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 July 2024
Bruised or soft spots can be a sign of rot and can speed up the spoilage of the entire melon.
—Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for rot 
Verb
This species nests in rotting wood and defends their home vigorously against rival ant colonies.
—Will Dunham, USA TODAY, 3 July 2024
Injury-prone ants Reddish-brown Florida carpenter ants, which reach about 1.5 centimeters (about three-fifths of an inch) in length, can be found nesting in rotting wood throughout the southeastern United States.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 3 July 2024
Noun
Charlie’s knee feels like a metaphor for his internal decay and of the rot growing around his entire situation.
—Abbey White, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 July 2024
Bruised or soft spots can be a sign of rot and can speed up the spoilage of the entire melon.
—Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for rot
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rot.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near rot
Cite this Entry
“Rot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rot. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
rot
1 of 2 verb
rotted; rotting
1
a
: to decay due to the action of fungi or bacteria
b
: to become unsafe or weak (as from use or chemical action)
2
: to go to ruin
3
: to cause to rot
rot
2 of 2 noun1
a
: the process of rotting : the state of being rotten
b
: something rotten or rotting
2
a
: a disease of plants or animals marked by the decay of tissue
b
: an area of decayed tissue
pruned the rot from the tree trunk
3
: nonsense sense 1
don't talk rot
Medical Definition
rot
1 of 2 intransitive verb
rotted; rotting
: to undergo decomposition from the action of bacteria or fungi
rot
2 of 2 noun1
: the process of rotting : the state of being rotten
2
: any of several parasitic diseases especially of sheep marked by necrosis and wasting
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