decompose
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
verb
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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
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(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
Related Words
See decay.
Other Word Forms
- decomposability noun
- decomposable adjective
- decomposition noun
- undecomposable adjective
Etymology
Origin of decompose
1745–55; < French décomposer, equivalent to dé- dis- 1 + composer to compose
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.
If we change, on a larger systemic level, the way we grow, distribute and decompose food, then we’ll be in a much better place.
From Los Angeles Times
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
Detectives hope a new digital recreation of a man's face could help them work out who he was - 18 months on from his highly decomposed body being found in a remote mid Wales reservoir.
From BBC
These soils, known as peat, contain partially decomposed plant material that has accumulated over hundreds or even thousands of years.
From Science Daily
Tests showed the material steadily decomposed under normal soil conditions, with full breakdown estimated within 13 weeks.
From Science Daily
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.
