as in to disintegrate
to go through decomposition
detectives needed to know how long it would take a corpse to decompose to that advanced state
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in decay
the process by which dead organic matter separates into simpler substances
the unmistakable smell of decomposition led us to some fruit that had fallen behind the refrigerator
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of decompose
Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 22 Jan. 2026
In January Choose an organic mulch that will gradually decompose and add nutrients to the soil.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 21 Jan. 2026
Alexandra Kukulka, Chicago Tribune, 10 Jan. 2026
On the property, there were 27 deceased dogs documented since August 1st alone, all in varying stages of decomposition.
—J.d. Miles, CBS News, 10 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for decompose
Verb
But Jewish artist Nina Sanadze saw a chance to immortalize the bouquets, even as their petals faded and decomposed.
—Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 22 Jan. 2026
In January Choose an organic mulch that will gradually decompose and add nutrients to the soil.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 21 Jan. 2026
Noun
Alkaline hydrolysis uses water, alkaline chemicals, heat, and sometimes pressure and agitation to accelerate natural decomposition, according to the Cremation Association of North America.
—Alexandra Kukulka, Chicago Tribune, 10 Jan. 2026
On the property, there were 27 deceased dogs documented since August 1st alone, all in varying stages of decomposition.
—J.d. Miles, CBS News, 10 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for decompose
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decompose
Verb
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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
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While other researchers have previously developed RFID capsules, the human digestive tract couldn’t disintegrate them, so all their components needed to travel the length of the body and exit in feces, or accumulate inside the body.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The most visible sign of this decay is the toxic white foam that now coats the surface, a thick layer of sewage and industrial waste that has formed over sections of the river.—
Rhea Mogul,
CNN Money,
1 Feb. 2026
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Infrastructure decay is perhaps the most visible symptom.—
Israel Melendez Ayala,
Time,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The water was yellow and smelled like rotting eggs.—
Rhea Mogul,
CNN Money,
1 Feb. 2026
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If the center is rotting out, add a little potting soil and plant flowers right in the stump.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
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These beers are spontaneously fermented, meaning that no yeast or other microbes are added to the beer by the brewer to cause fermentation.—
Don Tse,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
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Some Sourdough Breads Sourdough bread goes through a natural fermentation process using wild yeast and bacteria.—
Brandi Jones,
Health,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Nikolai Gogol’s will specified that his corpse must show visible signs of putrefaction before burial.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Oct. 2025
-
Likely only dead individuals, floating as gases formed by putrefaction accumulated in body cavities, entered the lagoon.—
David Bressan,
Forbes.com,
29 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Decompose.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decompose. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
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