as in to decompose
to go through decomposition
we traced the bad smell to a dead skunk putrefying under the house
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Recent Examples of putrefy
Because lose-lose situations are so endemic to the genre, a hint of relief can sometimes accompany the prospect of surrender to the putrefying mob.
—
Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 9 Aug. 2025
Fast-forward to now, and the scene has putrefied into a wasteland of the percussive undead.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 2 July 2025
But those explicit depictions underscore the many points McCartney and McLennan are trying to make about how misogyny putrefies society.
—Alexis Gunderson, Vulture, 8 Oct. 2024
It was designed to hold 20 bodies but on this day held 28 — the putrefied remains testifying to two dozen shattered dreams of reaching the United States.
—Arelis R. Hernández, Washington Post, 1 Mar. 2024
Mules killed in the assault putrefied and attracted swarms of maggots.
—Trip Gabriel, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2024
Just as fruit and meats left untouched began to rot and putrefy, dregs and undigested material inside the body turned poisonous if not expelled.
—Meg Leja, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Nov. 2023
Just as fruit and meats left untouched began to rot and putrefy, so did dregs and undigested material inside the body turn poisonous if not expelled.
—Discover Magazine, 7 Nov. 2023
Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 9 Aug. 2025
Fast-forward to now, and the scene has putrefied into a wasteland of the percussive undead.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 2 July 2025
But those explicit depictions underscore the many points McCartney and McLennan are trying to make about how misogyny putrefies society.
—Alexis Gunderson, Vulture, 8 Oct. 2024
It was designed to hold 20 bodies but on this day held 28 — the putrefied remains testifying to two dozen shattered dreams of reaching the United States.
—Arelis R. Hernández, Washington Post, 1 Mar. 2024
Mules killed in the assault putrefied and attracted swarms of maggots.
—Trip Gabriel, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2024
Just as fruit and meats left untouched began to rot and putrefy, dregs and undigested material inside the body turned poisonous if not expelled.
—Meg Leja, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Nov. 2023
Just as fruit and meats left untouched began to rot and putrefy, so did dregs and undigested material inside the body turn poisonous if not expelled.
—Discover Magazine, 7 Nov. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for putrefy
Verb
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In the weeks that followed the cyclone, more than 20 decomposing bodies washed ashore in Italy and Libya while other human remains were spotted floating in the middle of the sea.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 Mar. 2026
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Detectives said the victim’s body had already begun decomposing.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Be sure to keep the mulch at least two inches away from the stems or stalks of vegetable plants to help prevent rot from too much moisture.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
14 Mar. 2026
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When Corms Don't Sprout If your corms haven’t sprouted after two weeks, there could be several reasons for this, such as rotting due to overwatering, insufficient warmth and humidity, or the corms being too dry.—
SJ McShane,
Martha Stewart,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Hollywood, the name for the entertainment industry headquartered and operating in Los Angeles County, is disintegrating.—
Geoff Colvin,
Fortune,
13 Mar. 2026
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And while most of the spacecraft will likely disintegrate in a flaming blaze during reentry, a few components could survive, according to NASA.—
Jackie Wattles,
CNN Money,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Chunks of decaying organic matter, and the spaces made by the creatures that feed on it, make the soil lighter and more porous.—
Beth Botts,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Mar. 2026
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Rusting agricultural equipment and decaying barns gave the sci-fi story an eerie texture that’s strangely suited to a movie theater in a trailer.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
14 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Putrefy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/putrefy. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
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