as in decomposed
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as in rotting
to go through decomposition
detectives needed to know how long it would take a corpse to decompose to that advanced state
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Recent Examples of decomposing
Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 9 Feb. 2026
Jon Hallford, a southern Colorado funeral home owner who stashed nearly 200 decomposing bodies and gave families fake ashes, was sentenced on state charges on Friday.
—Maria Braganini, CBS News, 6 Feb. 2026
His work on Prototaxites fossils has shown that the ancient organisms didn’t use photosynthesis to produce energy from light like plants, but likely consumed carbon sources in the environment — just as some living fungi live off decomposing organic matter.
—Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 5 Feb. 2026
In September, the decomposing body of the 15-year-old girl was discovered in the trunk of D4vd’s vehicle, roughly two weeks after it was reported abandoned on a street in Hollywood.
—Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 4 Feb. 2026
Mulch is also readily available, provided by the tree’s own slowly decomposing leaves, which fall throughout the year since this species is evergreen.
—Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 31 Jan. 2026
The following month, on April 17, 1996, two county workers stumbled across the decomposing remains of Kenneth Smith.
—Christine Pelisek, PEOPLE, 30 Jan. 2026
In desert regions, natural mummification is common due to the dry conditions where fungi and bacteria can’t thrive on a decomposing corpse.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 15 Jan. 2026
In town, the painter also notes the reek of decomposing bodies, of garbage, of blood streaming out of the butcher shop.
—Amir Ahmadi Arian, The Dial, 15 Jan. 2026
Verb
Funk assures that the softened, decomposing cardboard will allow plants to grow through.
—Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 9 Feb. 2026
Jon Hallford, a southern Colorado funeral home owner who stashed nearly 200 decomposing bodies and gave families fake ashes, was sentenced on state charges on Friday.
—Maria Braganini, CBS News, 6 Feb. 2026
His work on Prototaxites fossils has shown that the ancient organisms didn’t use photosynthesis to produce energy from light like plants, but likely consumed carbon sources in the environment — just as some living fungi live off decomposing organic matter.
—Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 5 Feb. 2026
In September, the decomposing body of the 15-year-old girl was discovered in the trunk of D4vd’s vehicle, roughly two weeks after it was reported abandoned on a street in Hollywood.
—Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 4 Feb. 2026
Mulch is also readily available, provided by the tree’s own slowly decomposing leaves, which fall throughout the year since this species is evergreen.
—Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 31 Jan. 2026
The following month, on April 17, 1996, two county workers stumbled across the decomposing remains of Kenneth Smith.
—Christine Pelisek, PEOPLE, 30 Jan. 2026
In desert regions, natural mummification is common due to the dry conditions where fungi and bacteria can’t thrive on a decomposing corpse.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 15 Jan. 2026
In town, the painter also notes the reek of decomposing bodies, of garbage, of blood streaming out of the butcher shop.
—Amir Ahmadi Arian, The Dial, 15 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decomposing
Adjective
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Inside the container were the badly decomposed remains of an infant.—
Rosalio Ahumada,
Sacbee.com,
7 Jan. 2026
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Santa Barbara County Sheriff-Coroner Bill Brown said Melodee's decomposed body was found in a rural area outside of Cainville in Wayne County, discovered by a man and a woman taking photos.—
Julie Sharp,
CBS News,
23 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
The fruit can have a little give, but a very soft lemon is overripe or rotting.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
3 Feb. 2026
-
The conservancy's plan to shoot the deer from the air, using helicopters, was shut down in 2024 after residents voiced concerns of bullets raining down and rotting deer carcasses that would be left behind.—
Julie Sharp,
CBS News,
2 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Sporotrichosis is a fungal infection of the skin caused by exposure to a fungus that lives in soil, plants, decaying vegetation, moss and hay.—
Leslie Baumann,
Miami Herald,
13 Feb. 2026
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When Qualls saw the building again on a cool day last month, the renovation was a night-and-day transformation from the decaying structure that had sat vacant for several decades, its roof near collapsing.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Some are sandy; others are rich in organic matter formed from centuries of decayed plants.—
Dinesh Phuyal,
The Conversation,
26 Jan. 2026
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Of the 20 dead cats, eight were too decayed for a necropsy exam, which determines the cause of death of a dead animal and any associated diseases or injuries.—
Marina Johnson,
Louisville Courier Journal,
7 Aug. 2025
Verb
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This vacuum was meant to prevent the tungsten filament––that’s the little wire inside the bulb, the thing that glows––from burning up and disintegrating immediately, which is what a very hot piece of metal would do in the presence of oxygen.—
Natalia Sánchez Loayza,
Scientific American,
5 Feb. 2026
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As in a seventeenth-century poem by John Donne, George Herbert, or Andrew Marvell, the fraught human body is a microcosm, a mirror to the larger disintegrating world spirit.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Many grapes become too rotted and are left to wither away.—
John Mariani,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Try to get a look below the surface—if anything is broken, damaged, rotten, or desiccated, a simple trim could help.—
Ashley Chalmers,
The Spruce,
11 Feb. 2026
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Repairs to the balcony included removing and replacing rotten support beams, according to an invoice from Ameridian.—
Gillian Stawiszynski,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
7 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Bacteria can grow on spills, spoiled food, and hidden crumbs.—
Kendall Bettle,
Better Homes & Gardens,
5 Feb. 2026
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Why Gasket Maintenance Is Essential A dirty gasket leads to deterioration of the seal, which can cause temperature fluctuations, spoiled food, and bacterial growth.—
Louise Parks,
Martha Stewart,
31 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Decomposing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decomposing. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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