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• rot
  rot

  verb (used without object)

  to undergo decomposition; decay.
• ROT
  ROT

  rule of thumb.
• rot.
  rot.

  abbreviation

  rotating.

rot

¹ American  

[rot] / rɒt /

verb (used without object)

rots, present (3rd person singular) rotted, past participle, past rotting present participle

1. to undergo decomposition; decay.

   Synonyms:

   spoil, putrefy, molder, mold

2. to deteriorate, disintegrate, fall, or become weak due to decay (often followed by away, from, off, etc.).

3. to languish, as in confinement.

4. to become morally corrupt or offensive.

   Antonyms:

   purify

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verb (used with object)

rots, present (3rd person singular) rotted, past participle, past rotting present participle

1. to cause to rot.

   Dampness rots wood.

2. to cause moral decay in; cause to become morally corrupt.

   Antonyms:

   purify

3. to ret (flax, hemp, etc.).

noun

rots plural

1. the process of rotting.

2. the state of being rotten; decay; putrefaction.

   the rot of an old house.

   Synonyms:

   mold, decomposition

3. rotting or rotten matter.

   the rot and waste of a swamp.

4. moral or social decay or corruption.

5. Pathology. any disease characterized by decay.

6. Plant Pathology.

   1. any of various forms of decay produced by fungi or bacteria.

   2. any disease so characterized.

7. Veterinary Pathology. a bacterial infection of sheep and cattle characterized by decay of the hoofs, caused by Fusobacterium necrophorum in cattle and Bacteroides nodosus in sheep.

8. nonsense.

interjection

1. (used to express disagreement, distaste, or disgust.)

ROT ² American  

1. rule of thumb.

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rot. ³ American  

abbreviation

1. rotating.

2. rotation.

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rot ¹ British  

/ rɒt /

verb

1. to decay or cause to decay as a result of bacterial or fungal action

2. (intr; usually foll by off or away) to fall or crumble (off) or break (away), as from natural decay, corrosive action, or long use

3. (intr) to become weak, debilitated, or depressed through inertia, confinement, etc; languish

   rotting in prison

4. to become or cause to become morally corrupt or degenerate

5. (tr) textiles another word for ret

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noun

1. the process of rotting or the state of being rotten

2. something decomposed, disintegrated, or degenerate

3. short for dry rot

4. pathol any putrefactive decomposition of tissues

5. a condition in plants characterized by breakdown and decay of tissues, caused by bacteria, fungi, etc

6. vet science a contagious fungal disease of the feet of sheep characterized by inflammation, swelling, a foul-smelling discharge, and lameness

7. (also interjection) nonsense; rubbish

rot ² British  

abbreviation

1. rotation (of a mathematical function)

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rot Scientific  

/ rŏt /

1. To undergo decomposition, especially organic decomposition; decay.

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1. Any of several plant diseases characterized by the breakdown of tissue and caused by various bacteria or fungi.

Synonym Usage

See decay.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• half-rotted
  adjective
• unrotted
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• rots
  plural

Participles

• rotting
  present
• rotted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• rot
  simple
• rots
  simple
• have rotted
  perfect
• has rotted
  perfect
• am rotting
  progressive
• are rotting
  progressive
• is rotting
  progressive
• have been rotting
  perfect progressive
• has been rotting
  perfect progressive

Past

• rotted
  simple
• had rotted
  perfect
• was rotting
  progressive
• were rotting
  progressive
• had been rotting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will rot
  simple
• will have rotted
  perfect
• will be rotting
  progressive
• will have been rotting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of rot

before 900; (v.) Middle English rot ( t ) en, Old English rotian, cognate with Frisian rotsje, Dutch rotten; (noun) Middle English, perhaps < Old Norse rot (perhaps partly derivative of the v.); cf. ret, rotten)

Explanation

To rot is to decompose, or break down into smaller parts. When old food at the back of your refrigerator rots, you should throw it away. Sometimes you can tell when something is beginning to rot because it smells bad. But the process that occurs when things rot is a natural one that you can see all around you as you walk through the woods or along the beach. Living organisms have to rot after they die, to make room for more organisms.

Example Sentences

To hear the rest of this year’s list, and their contributions to 2025 digital culture discussed in full, listen to “Our Year of Brain Rot and Tech Dystopia.”

From Slate • Dec. 28, 2025

Rot and decay are inevitable, and Kathleen Ryan confronts them head-on in “Souvenir,” a solo exhibition at Karma.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 2, 2025

The Dortmund legend, who turned 35 on Friday, came through the academy and had spells at Rot Weiss Ahlen and Borussia Monchengladbach before returning home in 2012.

From BBC • May 31, 2024

Rot and death would spread through their venerable trunks and crumple their limbs — but their roots and stumps, cradled by the continent’s most ancient mountains, lived on in the sandy, acidic Appalachian soil.

From Salon • Dec. 18, 2023

Rot and damp and hopelessness and hunger and fear and anger twisted up in a clamp around my ribcage.

From "The Marrow Thieves" by Cherie Dimaline

Related Words

• break down
• crumble
• decay
• decompose
• disintegrate
• languish
• molder
• perish
• spoil
• stain
• warp
• wither