decompose
verb (used with object)
to separate or resolve into constituent parts or elements; disintegrate.
have decomposed
-
present perfectof decompose.present perfect
Used to describe actions that started in the past and continue into or have direct relevance to the present.
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.
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
When the frogs return in February, the cow patties have decomposed.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 18, 2023
Ordinarily, she and her colleagues focus on preserving the roughly 3,000 pieces of art in the Senate museum, some of which have decomposed over the body’s 200-year history.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 11, 2023
"We buried him with his toys and other personal items which obviously won't have decomposed," he says.
From BBC ● Nov. 25, 2015
“You have an instant fatality that leaves no marks on the skeletal remains. Unfortunately, the soft tissues that would show us what happened have decomposed in the past hundred years.”
From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler
