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
/ 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
2
British
abbreviation
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"
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"Banneker" by Rita Dove
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
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:
“Hope must be in the strategic leader’s DNA—without it, the whole enterprise would rot from the top down.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
The word "rot" is clearly an exaggeration, but new research suggests that heavy television viewing may still have meaningful consequences for brain health.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 2026
Everything the man is touching nowadays turns into gold for him and rot for the rest of us, a curse any smart person would avoid.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
The number of social-media groups and threads predicated on the opinion that Bowlero/Lucky Strike absolutely sucks testifies to the number of both serious bowlers and casual enthusiasts who see the corporation as an invasive rot.
From Salon ● Jul. 3, 2026
Even if something was burned up or left to rot away, it did not disappear from the face of the earth; it changed into something else—gases, liquids, and powders.
From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith
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
“Chokecherry may deny its scandalous past, but you can’t paint over rot. It’s still there, TokNation, and it will always come out.”
From "Linked" by Gordon Korman
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
She believes some online video content in particular "rots children's brains", so they are not allowed access to that.
From BBC ● Mar. 27, 2026
The allegory is a tad thick: Humanity rots inside the gates, dignity stands tall outside.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2025
The great Viserys rots into shreds of his former self.
From Salon ● Apr. 21, 2025
How many years would it take before her jump rope rots and disappears?
From "Hello, Universe" by Erin Entrada Kelly
The structure, discovered in the village of Bulford, was a much more simple construction made up of just two wooden posts, which have long since rotted away.
From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2026
But they hit their stride with 2022’s “The Death of Peace of Mind,” which melded a Weeknd-worthy R&B falsetto with rotted, churning guitars and tasteful electronics.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 27, 2026
"We're able to intercept food that would have otherwise rotted in fields or not be used and make it have a social impact."
From BBC ● Feb. 2, 2026
Her contorted expression is rotted by anguish, as though life’s unbearable burdens have laid waste to their latest victim.
From Salon ● Dec. 27, 2025
If they rotted, I would simply grow more teeth.
From "Kira-Kira" by Cynthia Kadohata
Many trees have produced no fruit at all, and others have dropped their fruit early, rotting before they ripened.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
He says flies have been swarming relentlessly over the past weeks, since the food that was stored in the warehouse began rotting.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
At the current pace, it appears extremely unlikely that the rotting food will be removed by Aug. 12.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
Her health concerns persisted even when smoke from the stubborn fire, which burned for more than a week, was replaced with the smells of rotting meat and other frozen foods.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
I didn’t have any trouble thinking of the bad responses, though—the ones where crowds laughed, body parts disappeared, or foul-smelling, rotting things kept turning up in my personal belongings.
From "Ida B" by Katherine Hannigan
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.
