decomposition
American-
The separation of a substance into simpler substances or basic elements. Decomposition can be brought about by exposure to heat, light, or chemical or biological activity.
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The process of breaking down organic material, such as dead plant or animal tissue, into smaller molecules that are available for use by the organisms of an ecosystem. Decomposition is carried on by bacteria, fungi, protists, worms, and certain other organisms.
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See more at detritivore
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of decomposition
1650–60; probably < French décomposition, derivative of décomposer to decompose; see composition
Explanation
Decomposition is the process of decaying or rotting. If you've ever left a carved pumpkin on the porch into late November, you have seen and smelled decomposition. A "composition" is a paper or group of items that's put together, while a decomposition is a breaking down or coming apart. You can use the noun decomposition for rotting plants and animals. Some people keep a compost pile for trash decomposition, which produces fertilizer. Studying decomposition lets you see the different stages of rotting, and science teachers often let students leave out a piece of fruit on purpose, just to watch its decomposition and the growth of maggots.
Vocabulary lists containing decomposition
Earth Science - Middle School
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The Carbon Cycle
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Earth Science - High School
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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:
When asked whether he was able to recognize any facial features, Byers said: "No, there was a quite a bit of decomposition to where skin slippage...made it unrecognizable."
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
There may also be a risk of explosion, it added, because of large volumes of internal gas caused by decomposition.
From BBC ● May 16, 2026
Eckenrode, a retired FBI forensic scientist and expert in human decomposition, joined them in 2021.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 7, 2026
A body was found in scrubland in 2007, the state of decomposition indicating it had been there for decades.
From BBC ● Apr. 29, 2026
There's little of the decomposition you see on most long-dead shamblers, none of the older clothing or loose hanging skin.
From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland
Their approach involves clever decompositions of the cube circumscribing the bicylinder.
From Scientific American ● Jan. 6, 2018
Although this method is not seen very often in textbooks, we present it here as an alternative that may make some partial fraction decompositions easier.
From Textbooks ● Feb. 13, 2015
We obtain the same values for and using either method, so the decompositions are the same using either method.
From Textbooks ● Feb. 13, 2015
So it's not a moment; it's a process that actually begins when the heart stops and culminates in the complete loss of the body, the decompositions of all the cells.
From Time Magazine Archive
By "stable" we mean they possess considerable resistance to agencies, that, in the case of other salts, effect decompositions of those salts.
From The Chemistry of Hat Manufacturing Lectures Delivered Before the Hat Manufacturers' Association by Shonk, Albert
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.
