1 decay | Definition of decay
Logo
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

decay

verb
de·​cay | \ di-ˈkā How to pronounce decay (audio) \
decayed; decaying; decays

Definition of decay

 (Entry 1 of 2)

intransitive verb

1 : to decline from a sound or prosperous condition a decaying empire
2 : to decrease usually gradually in size, quantity, activity, or force The three voices … decayed and died out upon her ear.— Thomas Hardy
3 : to fall into ruin the city's decaying neighborhoods
4 : to decline in health, strength, or vigor Her mind is beginning to decay with age. believes that the moral fiber of our society is decaying
5 : to undergo decomposition decaying fruit Her teeth were decaying. … most isotopes of copper decay quickly, but two are stable: Cu-63 and Cu-65.— David E. Thomas

transitive verb

1 obsolete : to cause to decay : impair infirmity that decays the wise— William Shakespeare
2 : to destroy by decomposition wood decayed by bacteria

decay

noun

Definition of decay (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : gradual decline in strength, soundness, or prosperity or in degree of excellence or perfection the decay of the public school system
2 : a wasting or wearing away : ruin a neighborhood that had fallen into decay
3 obsolete : destruction, death … sullen presage of your own decay.— Shakespeare
4a : rot The material is … resistant to fire, decay and termites …— Jack McClintock specifically : aerobic decomposition of proteins chiefly by bacteria
b : the product of decay tooth decay
5 : a decline in health or vigor mental decay
6 : decrease in quantity, activity, or force: such as
a chemistry : spontaneous decrease in the number of radioactive atoms in radioactive material
b physics : spontaneous disintegration (as of an atom or a particle)
Other Words from decay Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about decay

Keep scrolling for more

Other Words from decay

Verb

decayer noun

Choose the Right Synonym for decay

Verb

decay, decompose, rot, putrefy, spoil mean to undergo destructive dissolution. decay implies a slow change from a state of soundness or perfection. a decaying mansion decompose stresses a breaking down by chemical change and when applied to organic matter a corruption. the strong odor of decomposing vegetation rot is a close synonym of decompose and often connotes foulness. fruit was left to rot in warehouses putrefy implies the rotting of animal matter and offensiveness to sight and smell. corpses putrefying on the battlefield spoil applies chiefly to the decomposition of foods. keep the ham from spoiling

Examples of decay in a Sentence

Verb

 the smell of decaying rubbish dead plants and leaves decayed by bacteria She believes that the moral fiber of our society is decaying. our decaying public school system The city's neighborhoods are decaying.

Noun

 the decay of dead plants and leaves She writes about the moral decay of our society. the patient's physical and mental decay The city's neighborhoods are in slow decay.
See More

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

 The Brooms stayed, Simon Broom died, and the family struggled to keep the ailing house together while the neighborhood decayed around them. — Petula Dvorak, Washington Post, "A New Orleans family history: Big promises, dashed hopes and rising water," 30 Aug. 2019 Dead plants and animals no longer absorb carbon-14, and the trapped carbon starts to decay like clockwork. — Michael Greshko, National Geographic, "Colossal volcano behind 'mystery' global cooling finally found," 23 Aug. 2019 Housing costs rose without giving black residents a stake in the value of their homes, while neighborhoods decayed from lack of investment. — Calvin Schermerhorn, Twin Cities, "Calvin Schermerhorn: Why the racial wealth gap persists more than 150 years after emancipation," 27 June 2019 In experiments, prions have remained present and infectious two years after a carcass decays. — al.com, "A deadly deer disease is spreading and could infect humans," 14 June 2019 In experiments, prions have remained present and infectious two years after a carcass decays. — The Washington Post, The Mercury News, "A deadly deer disease is spreading. Could it strike people, too?," 14 June 2019 Menstruation sets off sexuality, and girls at this precipice are understandably anxious over what is to come, bodies bleeding monthly, opening up in childbirth, and eventually decaying with age. — Longreads, "Demonology: A Woman’s Right to Fury," 10 June 2019 For the past 200 years or more, Earth’s magnetic field has been decaying at a rate of five percent each century. — Emily Toomey, Smithsonian, "Earth’s Magnetic Field Could Take Longer to Flip Than Previously Thought," 8 Aug. 2019 Thatch is an inch or so of stems that are not decaying and which prevent water going into the lawn and new blades of grass growing out of it. — Jeff Lowenfels, Anchorage Daily News, "Last year’s garden did great. This year, it did nothing. What went wrong?," 1 Aug. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

 The ratio of uranium to its decay products in the bones revealed an age of about 170,000 years old. — Lizzie Wade, <

WORD OF THE DAY

See Definitions and Examples

Get Word of the Day daily email!