decompose
Americanverb (used with object)
-
decomposes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
decomposed,
past participle, past
-
decomposing
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
decomposes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
decomposed,
past participle, past
-
decomposing
present participle
verb
-
to break down (organic matter) or (of organic matter) to be broken down physically and chemically by bacterial or fungal action; rot
-
chem to break down or cause to break down into simpler chemical compounds
-
to break up or separate into constituent parts
-
(tr) maths to express in terms of a number of independent simpler components, as a set as a canonical union of disjoint subsets, or a vector into orthogonal components
Synonym Usage
See decay.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
decomposesimple
-
decomposessimple
-
have decomposedperfect
-
has decomposedperfect
-
am decomposingprogressive
-
are decomposingprogressive
-
is decomposingprogressive
-
have been decomposingperfect progressive
-
has been decomposingperfect progressive
Past
-
decomposedsimple
-
had decomposedperfect
-
was decomposingprogressive
-
were decomposingprogressive
-
had been decomposingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of decompose
1745–55; < French décomposer, equivalent to dé- dis- 1 + composer to compose
Explanation
The verb decompose means to break down or decay, like tree leaves that decompose into dirt, or cell phone batteries that decompose, resulting in more frequent charging for the user. You know that the prefix de- means "remove" or "undo." And something that's composed is made up of parts. So to decompose is to undo all the parts until they go back to their original state: dirt. Living things decompose. When things like buildings or organizations break down, you typically use words like dismantle or deconstruct to describe the process.
Vocabulary lists containing decompose
"The Ravine," Vocabulary from the short story
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Can You Dig It? Words for Dirt and Soil
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"Living in the Dark," Vocabulary from the science article
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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:
In November 2019, Nelligan began researching how bodies decompose in soil.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 7, 2026
Globally, it's estimated that 300,000 disposable nappies are sent to landfill or incinerated every minute, leading to environmental issues as many contain plastics and synthetic materials and can take hundreds of years to decompose.
From BBC ● Mar. 12, 2026
Despite recycling efforts, most plastic ends up in landfills where it can take centuries to decompose, leaching out chemicals during that time, Deeney said.
From Barron's ● Jan. 26, 2026
His latest invention, GraveTech, gives people the opportunity to say hello to their loved ones as they decompose six feet underground, at the touch of a button.
From Salon ● Dec. 5, 2025
For example, they had to figure out how to decompose a continuous utterance into speech units, regardless of whether those units were taken as words, syllables, or phonemes.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
“As organic waste decomposes in landfills, it accounts for 41% of the state’s methane emissions, a greenhouse gas with 84 times the power to heat the climate as carbon dioxide,” according to CalRecycle.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026
The whale has gained in size in recent days because of a build-up of gas as the carcass decomposes, and some islanders are worried it may explode.
From BBC ● May 20, 2026
Fires that start below the surface often begin spontaneously, as organic matter decomposes and creates heat, fueled by oxygen that sneaks in through the cracks.
From Barron's ● Apr. 30, 2026
But by the time Agatha Harkness’ body instantaneously rots and decomposes into a bed of flowers in shades of her signature purple, her death inspires something closer to sadness rather than cheer.
From Salon ● Oct. 31, 2024
“It’s just a case of remembering that oxalic acid on heating decomposes into carbon dioxide, water, and good old carbon monoxide. College chem, you know.”
From "I, Robot" by Isaac Asimov
Unlike in 1986, when many of the artifacts, especially the elephant tusks, decomposed after being exposed to the open air, Ran improvised a new system for the dig.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026
What remains that haven’t been scavenged have decomposed to the point where DNA analysis is difficult and all but useless in Gaza, where there are no functioning laboratories able to test and compare samples.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
"Millipedes were feeding on decaying mosses, decomposed slime, and primordial gunk on the surface of the Earth."
From Science Daily ● Jun. 14, 2026
To Arcuri, Nvidia’s work to provide a whole AI system “shifts performance discussions away from standalone GPU generations and toward how workloads are decomposed, orchestrated and scaled across the full system.”
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 10, 2026
One of the few circumstances that save us from extinction by this means is the fact that parathion and other chemicals of this 0 group are decomposed rather rapidly.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
A court has turned down their request but ordered the authorities to protect the body from decomposing.
From BBC ● May 21, 2026
The decomposing waste generates methane, which scientists say is responsible for at least a quarter of global warming.
From Barron's ● May 13, 2026
The group used a technology known as soil vapor sampling, which they say could detect volatile organic compounds associated with decomposing human remains.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 6, 2026
It said it had to make a "painful decision" to use the decomposing body "as the only anchor to safely reach the calf".
From BBC ● May 6, 2026
I seemed to see the whole universe, even the sun and sky, leaping forward, then sinking away again, decomposing.
From "Grendel" by John Gardner
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
