rot
verb (used without object)
to undergo decomposition; decay.
rot
1 American
[rot]
/ rɒt /
verb (used without object)
-
rots,
present (3rd person singular)
-
rotted,
past participle, past
-
rotting
present participle
verb (used with object)
-
rots,
present (3rd person singular)
-
rotted,
past participle, past
-
rotting
present participle
-
to cause to rot.
Dampness rots wood.
-
to cause moral decay in; cause to become morally corrupt.
- Antonyms:
- purify
-
to ret (flax, hemp, etc.).
noun
-
rots
plural
-
the process of rotting.
-
the state of being rotten; decay; putrefaction.
the rot of an old house.
- Synonyms:
- mold, decomposition
-
rotting or rotten matter.
the rot and waste of a swamp.
-
moral or social decay or corruption.
-
Pathology. any disease characterized by decay.
-
Plant Pathology.
-
any of various forms of decay produced by fungi or bacteria.
-
any disease so characterized.
-
-
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.
interjection
ROT
2
American
rot.
3
American
abbreviation
-
rotating.
-
rotation.
rot
1
British
abbreviation
rot
2
British
/ rɒt /
verb
-
to decay or cause to decay as a result of bacterial or fungal action
-
(intr; usually foll by off or away) to fall or crumble (off) or break (away), as from natural decay, corrosive action, or long use
-
(intr) to become weak, debilitated, or depressed through inertia, confinement, etc; languish
rotting in prison
-
to become or cause to become morally corrupt or degenerate
-
(tr) textiles another word for ret
noun
-
the process of rotting or the state of being rotten
-
something decomposed, disintegrated, or degenerate
-
short for dry rot
-
pathol any putrefactive decomposition of tissues
-
a condition in plants characterized by breakdown and decay of tissues, caused by bacteria, fungi, etc
-
vet science a contagious fungal disease of the feet of sheep characterized by inflammation, swelling, a foul-smelling discharge, and lameness
-
(also interjection) nonsense; rubbish
rot
Scientific
/ rŏt /
Synonym Usage
See decay.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
rotsimple
-
rotssimple
-
have rottedperfect
-
has rottedperfect
-
am rottingprogressive
-
are rottingprogressive
-
is rottingprogressive
-
have been rottingperfect progressive
-
has been rottingperfect progressive
Past
-
rottedsimple
-
had rottedperfect
-
was rottingprogressive
-
were rottingprogressive
-
had been rottingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing rot
"When Cultures Meet"
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"Banneker" by Rita Dove
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Haugen and Horwitz battled similarly daunting foes, and the rot they uncovered was just as systemic and frightening as the reporting.
From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026
"But a case like Jacqui and Olivia's is almost exemplary of the systemic rot and failings that prevail throughout the entire system."
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
Cleanup crews have cleared much of the millions of pounds of food left to rot after a warehouse burned for more than a week in Los Angeles.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
At one point, one resident said, the smell of rot was so strong they believed a wild animal had died on a nearby hiking trail.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 2026
I extended my toes toward the fire to warm them and saw that they were pale and had begun to rot.
From "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ishmael Beah
He further adds, "However, gathering accurate data using ROT requires the precise placement and removal of a single cell, and I wanted to make the process of analyzing many cells easier."
From Science Daily ● Dec. 11, 2023
Ms. Nurse, who founded BK ROT, a youth composting service and green jobs project, was nonetheless surprised when Ms. Adams named her to head the sanitation committee.
From New York Times ● Feb. 21, 2022
She points to the success of existing organizations, like BK ROT, a bicycle-powered micro-hauler and composting service staffed by young people of color.
From Salon ● Mar. 17, 2021
Another such small business is GreenFeen OrganiX, a worker-owned cooperative founded by lifelong Bronx resident Dior St. Hillaire, who is also a co-director of BK ROT.
From Washington Post
DRY ROT, a fungoid disease in timber which occasions the destruction of its fibres, and reduces it eventually to a mass of dry dust.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 7 "Drama" to "Dublin" by Various
“It speaks to that brain rot. One minute you’re looking at this thing and the next you’re looking at this thing. You want it to be dynamic.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 8, 2025
“Leather will wet rot. Collagen fibers in vellum will tighten and shrink.”
From New York Times ● Jan. 7, 2023
“It’s in the basement where people just rot. There is no medication,” he said.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 19, 2022
"If the rains come too early at the end of the longer rainy season our beans rot. But it's harder now to tell what will happen."
From BBC ● Nov. 13, 2017
“No offense, m’lady, but if I don’t plant them soon they’ll rot. Now, where would you like them?”
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
The analysts at SentimenTrader call it a “Weekend at Bernie’s” rally, “propped up almost entirely by flows into a handful of mega-cap tech and semiconductor leaders, while the broader market rots beneath the surface.”
From Barron's ● Jun. 3, 2026
The saying goes that the fish rots from the head.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 27, 2025
Soon, mounds of unsightly sargassum – carried by currents from the Sargasso Sea and linked to climate change – were carpeting the region’s prized coastlines, repelling holidaymakers with the pungent stench emitted as it rots.
From BBC ● Nov. 24, 2024
It comes with a certificate of authenticity and installation instructions for owners to replace the banana — if they wish — whenever it rots.
From New York Times ● Nov. 20, 2024
He pulled some car rots from the soft, dark earth and we sat down to eat.
From "Bless Me, Ultima" by Rudolfo Anaya
Once a zone of promise and connection, the web has not only rotted and enshittified, it’s turned into a literal warzone.
From Salon ● Oct. 15, 2026
The building was storing millions of pounds of fresh and frozen food such as meat, bread and seafood that rotted after the blaze, prompting complaints, citations and lawsuits over foul odors and pests.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
"It's unripe, but it's already rotted before we've even started," he explains.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
Maria Ngo had spent most of the day tossing expired items and rotted produce from the small grocery store — casualties of the forced shutdown.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 2026
Clare climbed the creaking stairs, treading carefully to avoid the places where the wood had rotted through.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
Even when life offers her a grain of solace or happiness, the morsel is already rotting from the inside out.
From Salon ● Oct. 2, 2026
The fire’s aftermath was just as bad, with cleanup crews having to contend with removing 89 million pounds of thawing, rotting meat, debris and other material.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026
A rotting carpet of familiar fan-shaped leaves soon surrounded the tree, a sight so alarming Jung and her neighbours formed a crew of amateur detectives to solve the mystery: what was ailing their hardy ginkgo?
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
Since then, the company has been working to remove approximately 88 million pounds of rotting food, including meat and fish that was stored inside.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 2026
Smells stab my nose—fumes from the road, rotting food from a garbage bin, and others I don't recognize.
From "Born Behind Bars" by Padma Venkatraman
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