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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as in decomposed
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Recent Examples of decomposing
Miami Herald, 2 Sep. 2025
Investigators found 189 decomposing bodies stored at room temperature at the Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose in 2023 and charged owners Jon and Carie Hallford with abuse of a corpse, theft and forgery.
—Aldo Svaldi, Denver Post, 29 Aug. 2025
While Season 1 was based on the Belgian series Clan, Horgan wrote a fresh trajectory for the siblings in Season 2, leading them through a new set of challenges, including, but not limited to, a con-man, a decomposing body and falling off a cliff.
—Antonia Blyth, Deadline, 23 Aug. 2025
In another lay the stiff, decomposing carcass of a feral hog.
—Nathaniel Rich, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
The Ouro Reactor takes biogas—a mix of methane and carbon dioxide from decomposing manure in waste lagoons—and converts it into a key component for jet fuel.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 19 Aug. 2025
The Staten Island Expressway rumbled not far away; strip malls were visible to the east, and equipment that measures landfill gas poked through the ground at regular intervals—the trash beneath the park is still decomposing—and yet the air smelled sweet.
—Eric Lach, New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2025
Milwaukee police discovered a 10-month-girl's decomposing body in a northside apartment, and the child's mother now faces felony charges.
—Chris Ramirez, jsonline.com, 18 Aug. 2025
LaPointe notes that there have been reports of respiratory issues in areas with large amounts of decomposing sargassum on the shore due to the hydrogen sulfide released.
—Terry Ward, AFAR Media, 15 Aug. 2025
Adjective
Sometimes higher levels could mean more decomposing vegetation, not animal feces.
—Miami Herald, 2 Sep. 2025
Investigators found 189 decomposing bodies stored at room temperature at the Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose in 2023 and charged owners Jon and Carie Hallford with abuse of a corpse, theft and forgery.
—Aldo Svaldi, Denver Post, 29 Aug. 2025
While Season 1 was based on the Belgian series Clan, Horgan wrote a fresh trajectory for the siblings in Season 2, leading them through a new set of challenges, including, but not limited to, a con-man, a decomposing body and falling off a cliff.
—Antonia Blyth, Deadline, 23 Aug. 2025
In another lay the stiff, decomposing carcass of a feral hog.
—Nathaniel Rich, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
The Ouro Reactor takes biogas—a mix of methane and carbon dioxide from decomposing manure in waste lagoons—and converts it into a key component for jet fuel.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 19 Aug. 2025
The Staten Island Expressway rumbled not far away; strip malls were visible to the east, and equipment that measures landfill gas poked through the ground at regular intervals—the trash beneath the park is still decomposing—and yet the air smelled sweet.
—Eric Lach, New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2025
Milwaukee police discovered a 10-month-girl's decomposing body in a northside apartment, and the child's mother now faces felony charges.
—Chris Ramirez, jsonline.com, 18 Aug. 2025
LaPointe notes that there have been reports of respiratory issues in areas with large amounts of decomposing sargassum on the shore due to the hydrogen sulfide released.
—Terry Ward, AFAR Media, 15 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decomposing
Verb
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Their investigation leads them to the rotting corpse of their old neighbor Patty Metzger (a great name for a character whose moniker will hang over the rest of the film), who disappeared years ago.—
Sam Bodrojan,
IndieWire,
11 Sep. 2025
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The vehicle was impounded last week after being abandoned in the Hollywood Hills, where neighbors complained of a rotting smell.—
Andrew Flanagan,
Variety,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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McCormack’s decomposed body was found in a pink suitcase near Missouri Highway 59 between Lanagan, Missouri, and Noel, Missouri, on July 29, 2019, according to the plea agreement.—
Caroline Zimmerman,
Kansas City Star,
22 Aug. 2025
Verb
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On Earth, vivianite is frequently found in peat bogs and around decaying organic matter—another item on the microbes’ menu.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
11 Sep. 2025
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On Earth, Vivianite is found in sediments, peat bogs and around decaying organic matter, while some forms of microbial life can produce greigite.—
Jamie Carter,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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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
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The breakthrough came when researchers focused on coelomic fluid, the internal liquid surrounding the sea stars’ organs, rather than tissue from decayed specimens.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Aug. 2025
Verb
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But explaining Dyer’s motivations in the face of a disintegrating family portrayed in & Sons remains a bit of an uphill climb for Nighy.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Sep. 2025
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As the Snowball catastrophically collapsed once more, superhot oceans of meltwater, just offshore from rapidly disintegrating mile-thick ice sheets, drove some of the wildest weather in Earth history.—
Peter Brannen
August 28,
Literary Hub,
28 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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There is little that has gone right for Tanner Scott this week, the most miserable one in what has been a rotten year in the first season as the Los Angeles Dodgers’ $72 million closer.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
13 Sep. 2025
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Due to lawn mower paths, yard football routes my sons had run, and a few rotten tree roots, dips and low spots had developed over time in our yard.—
Rebecca Jones,
Southern Living,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The first season concludes with patriarch Horace Bellaire marrying Kimmie from his hospital bed, leaving her his inheritance and shocking his spoiled heirs.—
Monica Mercuri,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
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Kayla Blanton is a freelance lifestyle writer, editor, and reviewer of seven years and a proud cat mom to three very spoiled rescues.—
Kayla Blanton,
PEOPLE,
7 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Decomposing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decomposing. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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