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:
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
Plus, a DIY solar hack, a country fights teen brain rot with free ChatGPT and Apple’s plans for a Siri-led AI comeback.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 7, 2026
They haven’t sniffed the playoffs since while undergoing seemingly constant leadership changes that have allowed their culture to slowly rot.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 31, 2026
"There have been things the agency's done that have been productive to stop the rot of the bots," she tells the BBC.
From BBC ● May 16, 2026
“Aunt Florentine said it would rot his teeth,” I said.
From Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles
The cROT device indeed demonstrates a remarkable enhancement in throughput when contrasted with traditional ROT platforms.
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 sense letting your brain go to rot. You know anything at all about working with wood?”
From "Pax" by Sara Pennypacker
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 allegory is a tad thick: Humanity rots inside the gates, dignity stands tall outside.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2025
The installation - which has travelled around the world - comes with instructions on how to replace the banana whenever it rots.
From BBC ● Nov. 21, 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
They carried lice and ringworm and leeches and paddy algae and various rots and molds.
From "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien
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
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
In the wild, the larvae live in small holes that have rotted into old pine trees.
From BBC ● Apr. 21, 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
The locations were changed but the settings were alike—a strip of wasteland bordered by rows of rotted shacks, and somewhere near a mill, a cotton gin, or a bottling plant.
From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers
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
Officials said they have upgraded air monitors at nearby Eastman Avenue Elementary School to screen for hydrogen sulfide, methane and ammonia — all byproducts of rotting food.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
But in the weeks since, the stench of rotting food has drifted into nearby neighborhoods.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
"We call it rotting out," says Fererro, now wearing a white laboratory coat as he adds handfuls of seagrass to the Calshot tank.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
Every now and again, a gust of hot wind brought the stench of rotting fish.
From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi
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.
