rot

[ rot ]

/ rɒt /

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See synonyms for rot on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object), rot·ted, rot·ting.

to undergo decomposition; decay.

to deteriorate, disintegrate, fall, or become weak due to decay (often followed by away, from, off, etc.).

to languish, as in confinement.

to become morally corrupt or offensive.

verb (used with object), rot·ted, rot·ting.

to cause to rot: Dampness rots wood.

to cause moral decay in; cause to become morally corrupt.

to ret (flax, hemp, etc.).

noun

the process of rotting.

the state of being rotten; decay; putrefaction: the rot of an old house.

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.

nonsense.

interjection

(used to express disagreement, distaste, or disgust.)

OTHER WORDS FOR rot

1 mold, molder, putrefy, spoil.

9 decomposition, mold.

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OPPOSITES FOR rot

4, 6 purify.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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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)

synonym study for rot

1. See decay.

OTHER WORDS FROM rot

half-rotted, adjectiveun·rot·ted, adjective

Other definitions for rot (2 of 3)

ROT

rule of thumb.

Other definitions for rot (3 of 3)

rot.

abbreviation

rotating.

rotation.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use rot in a sentence

The beds were crammed together, and a man in the middle of the room had spots of flesh on his body that obviously were rotting.
Putin’s Health Care Disaster|Anna Nemtsova|November 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Only a rounded bar and three rotting bathtubs remain in the decrepit club.
‘Argo’ in the Congo: The Ghosts of the Stanleyville Hostage Crisis|Nina Strochlic|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Today, ton-sized pieces of lumber lay rotting in the cool morning air.
Heart of Darkness: Into Afghanistan’s Taliban Valley|Matt Trevithick, Daniel Seckman|November 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
What does our desperation to get a nuclear deal at all costs say to the modern-day Iranian Solzhenitsyns rotting in Evin prison?
Iran’s Horrific Human-Rights Record|Sen. Mark Kirk, Sen. Marco Rubio|November 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST

One woman dying on his floor, another rotting in a suitcase: An alleged killer stuns the financial community in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong’s High-Flying British Psycho Killer Suspect|Nico Hines, Tom Sykes|November 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There was much excess tobacco in Virginia itself, some tobacco even rotting on the farms.
Hallowed Heritage: The Life of Virginia|Dorothy M. Torpey
Sometimes the rain soaks into the stalk, rotting it so that the leaves fall off, injuring them for wrappers.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
One instant more, and there were glimpses below us of the rotting pine copses and mossy bogs surrounding Petersburg.
Dream Tales and Prose Poems|Ivan Turgenev
Through a magnificent colonnade I could see a second court on one side, where were the offices; the door was rotting.
Honorine|Honore de Balzac
It was littered with rotting straw and plum stones and melon seeds.
Wayside Courtships|Hamlin Garland

British Dictionary definitions for rot (1 of 2)

rot¹

/ (rɒt) /

verb rots, rotting or rotted

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; languishrotting 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 degenerateRelated adjective: putrid

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

Word Origin for rot

Old English rotian (vb); related to Old Norse rotna . C13 (noun), from Scandinavian

British Dictionary definitions for rot (2 of 2)

rot²

abbreviation for

rotation (of a mathematical function)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for rot

rot

[ rŏt ]

Verb

To undergo decomposition, especially organic decomposition; decay.

Noun

Any of several plant diseases characterized by the breakdown of tissue and caused by various bacteria or fungi.