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
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of decompose
Yasmeen Saadi, The Indianapolis Star, 26 Dec. 2024
The same reasoning applies to why glass shatters, ice melts, liquids mix and leaves decompose.
—Zack Savitsky, Quanta Magazine, 13 Dec. 2024
This chain-of-thought reasoning works more like we humans do, by decomposing a problem into bite-sized chunks and tackling (computing) those chunks in sequence.
—Karl Freund, Forbes, 10 Dec. 2024
Once discarded, 66 percent of these textiles are sent to landfills to decompose (some quickly, others over hundreds of years).
—Andre Claudio, WWD, 18 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for decompose 
Verb
After digging, detectives found adipocere, a grayish wax or oil that a body emits when decomposing.
—Yasmeen Saadi, The Indianapolis Star, 26 Dec. 2024
The same reasoning applies to why glass shatters, ice melts, liquids mix and leaves decompose.
—Zack Savitsky, Quanta Magazine, 13 Dec. 2024
This chain-of-thought reasoning works more like we humans do, by decomposing a problem into bite-sized chunks and tackling (computing) those chunks in sequence.
—Karl Freund, Forbes, 10 Dec. 2024
Once discarded, 66 percent of these textiles are sent to landfills to decompose (some quickly, others over hundreds of years).
—Andre Claudio, WWD, 18 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for decompose
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decompose
Verb
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The phase transition If that wasn’t unpleasant enough for you, consider this: Perhaps the Universe will take some weird physics to the extreme and disintegrate in a flash of energy.—
Paul Sutter,
Ars Technica,
14 Jan. 2025
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The partnership between Synapse and Evolve Bank & Trust disintegrated over a $13 million deficit in Synapse’s For Benefit Of (FBO) accounts.—
Zareef Hamid,
Forbes,
14 Jan. 2025
Noun
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These economies are much more vulnerable to existential economic and environmental shocks and downward spirals of community decay than urban economies, which have built up more diversified tradable income sources over time.—
Tim Freeman,
The Conversation,
13 Jan. 2025
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Summary Dental fillings help maintain the structure and function of natural teeth damaged by tooth decay.—
Anna Giorgi,
Verywell Health,
10 Jan. 2025
Verb
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The stinging in my eyeballs from sweat and sunscreen mixes with the unmistakable smell of rotting flesh.—
Dac Collins,
Outdoor Life,
16 Jan. 2025
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The bandit wheeled and snarled at Herod, exposing his rotting front teeth.—
Louis Menand,
The New Yorker,
13 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Made in a dedicated white wine fermentation room, the two whites are the first releases from the new winery.—
Mike DeSimone and Jeff Jenssen,
Robb Report,
10 Jan. 2025
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One promising approach comes from Sunflower Therapeutics, which is adapting pharmaceutical-grade fermentation systems for food production.—
Shayna Harris,
Forbes,
8 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Here was an artist drawn irresistibly to executions and corpses, dismemberment and putrefaction.—
airmail.news,
airmail.news,
20 Apr. 2024
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Kellogg’s thinking on constipation, that anything less than three bowel movements a day risked dangerous intestinal putrefaction, was shaped by the emerging germ theory of disease and the ascent of bacteriology as a discipline through the closing decades of the 19th century.—
Elsa Richardson,
TIME,
3 Oct. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near decompose
Cite this Entry
“Decompose.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decompose. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.
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