rot
verb (used without object)
to undergo decomposition; decay.
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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:
But if Carrick fails to stop the rot and loses his job, United are already considering the merits of appointing another British coach - albeit one who is more experienced.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026
Even the most polite friendships on the surface can slowly rot from the inside out.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 25, 2026
Haugen and Horwitz battled similarly daunting foes, and the rot they uncovered was just as systemic and frightening as the reporting.
From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026
Cleanup crews have cleared much of the millions of pounds of food left to rot after a warehouse burned for more than a week in Los Angeles.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
“Aunt Florentine said it would rot his teeth,” I said.
From Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles
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
“No sense letting your brain go to rot. You know anything at all about working with wood?”
From "Pax" by Sara Pennypacker
"I figure it'll probably disintegrate and probably nobody will ever hear it, that's what bothers me... if it rots in there before they open it."
From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 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
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
The only thing we can do is cover up the smell somehow, and avoid the area until the thing rots completely.
From "Please Ignore Vera Dietz" by A.S. King
Once a zone of promise and connection, the web has not only rotted and enshittified, it’s turned into a literal warzone.
From Salon ● Oct. 15, 2026
The building was storing millions of pounds of fresh and frozen food such as meat, bread and seafood that rotted after the blaze, prompting complaints, citations and lawsuits over foul odors and pests.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
In the wild, the larvae live in small holes that have rotted into old pine trees.
From BBC ● Apr. 21, 2026
Rourke alleged that the floors were rotted, there was no running water in a couple of places there should have been and the place was infested with rodents.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 6, 2026
If it had ever held answers about my grandfather—in the form of letters, maybe, or a photo album or a diary—they’d probably burned up or rotted away decades ago.
From "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs
But there’s nothing charming about composite decking, which is what I found myself researching when our wood started rotting under the weight of New England winter.
From Slate ● Oct. 28, 2026
That heartless sea alludes to both a disturbing woman in his past and hard times when young, watching “the locust feed / Like tractor wrecks and cabbages rotting in a field.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
“But I am the only one rotting in prison.”
From Salon ● Oct. 20, 2026
Many species can go unnoticed among fallen leaves, rotting wood and the bases of trees, but Benwell said taking the time to look more closely opens up a hidden world.
From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026
Isn’t that part of what got her into this mess, to this place where she is weirdly and surreally standing alone on a high, rotting railway trestle on her eighteenth birthday?
From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti
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