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)

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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.
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Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

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 Joan Didion, in her thoughtful tracing of disparate lives, proves a useful guide in examining the roots from which American civil life has decayed. Mary Spencer, National Review, "What Joan Didion Saw," 29 June 2019 Preserving your home movies, entombed in rapidly-decaying VHS tapes, by converting them into digital files is a thoughtful (and often tear-jerking) way to do that. Cameron Faulkner, The Verge, "How to make digital copies of your VHS tapes," 21 July 2019 Water laps decaying piers on one side of the building, while low-slung brick buildings that once housed lighthouse equipment are on another. New York Times, "Now That’s a City View," 19 July 2019 In terms of magnitude and number of quakes, Abreu said the Ridgecrest sequence has actually decayed faster than expected, but the variation isn't unusual for the geological setting. Kristin Lam, USA TODAY, "Is 'The Big One' next? California was shaking again Tuesday, with three earthquakes of 3.5 or greater," 16 July 2019 Seguin Police Chief Terry Nichols said that the charge stemmed from Crayton allowing her daughter to live in a home where her mother's body was decaying, according to the Express-News. Dallas News, "Texas woman lived with her mother's skeletal remains for 3 years, police say," 15 July 2019 Fruit and vegetables soon decay because mold and bacteria know how to turn away other potential consumers. Anna K. Behrensmeyer, Smithsonian, "How Do Fossils Form?," 8 June 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Moreover, Ibsen had offered a scathing indictment of Norwegian society’s oppressive social strictures and its moral decay to protect those social norms.