Word forms: 3rd person singular presenttense rusts, present participle rusting, past tense, past participle rusted
1. uncountable noun
Rust is a brown substance that forms on iron or steel, for example when it comes into contact with water.
...a decaying tractor, red with rust.
Manufacturers are looking into building cars out of plastic to avoid the problemof rust.
Synonyms: corrosion, oxidation More Synonyms of rust
2. verb
When a metal object rusts, it becomes covered in rust and often loses its strength.
Copper nails are better than iron nails because the iron rusts. [VERB]
There was an old rusting bolt on the door. [VERB-ing]
3. colour
Rust is sometimes used to describe things that are reddish-brown in colour.
...turquoise woodwork with accent colours of rust and ochre.
...a rust-coloured blouse.
4. uncountable noun
Rust is a disease which affects plants. It is caused by a fungus.
Phrasal verbs:
See rust away
More Synonyms of rust
rust in British English
(rʌst)
noun
1.
a reddish-brown oxide coating formed on iron or steel by the action of oxygen and moisture
2. Also called: rust fungus plant pathology
a.
any basidiomycetous fungus of the order Uredinales, parasitic on cereal plants, conifers, etc
b.
any of various plant diseases characterized by reddish-brown discoloration of the leaves and stem, esp that caused by the rust fungi
3.
a.
a strong brown colour, sometimes with a reddish or yellowish tinge
b.
(as adjective)
a rust carpet
4.
any corrosive or debilitating influence, esp lack of use
verb
5.
to become or cause to become coated with a layer of rust
6.
to deteriorate or cause to deteriorate through some debilitating influence or lack of use
he allowed his talent to rust over the years
Derived forms
rustless (ˈrustless)
adjective
Word origin
Old English rūst; related to Old Saxon, Old High German rost
rust in American English
(rʌst)
noun
1.
the reddish-brown or reddish-yellow coating formed on iron or steel by oxidation, as during exposure to air and moisture: it consists mainly of ferric oxide, Fe2O3, and ferric hydroxide, Fe(OH)3
2.
any coating or film formed on any other metal by oxidation or corrosion
3.
any stain or formation resembling iron rust
4.
any habit, influence, growth, etc. injurious to usefulness, to the mind or character, etc.
5.
disuse of mental or moral powers; inactivity; idleness
6.
the color of iron rust; reddish brown or reddish yellow
7. Botany
a.
any of various plant diseases characterized by a spotted reddish or brownish discoloration of stems and leaves
b.
any of an order (Uredinales) of basidiomycetous fungi causing rust
: in full rust fungus
verb intransitive, verb transitive
8.
to affect or be affected by a rust fungus
9.
to become or cause to be coated with rust, as iron
10.
to deteriorate or spoil, as through disuse
a mind that has rusted
11.
to become or make rust-colored
Word origin
ME < OE, akin to Ger rost < IE base *reudh-, red
Examples of 'rust' in a sentence
rust
His attacks on free trade have played well in the rust belt but he needs to mend his image with suburban women.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The rust belt city in Pennsylvania is to begin an experiment in robotic taxis.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
All British pundits The key to this election lies in the rust belt!
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Egypt was no longer a rusting old machine.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
My father with his years at sea would have called her a rust bucket.
Charles Glass The Tribes Triumphant (2006)
This is a fungus called white rust which can kill the plants.
The Sun (2011)
It was a bit of a rust bucket.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
The leaves you sent are infected with a fungus called pear rust.
The Sun (2012)
It turned to a bucket of rust.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Its reddish colour comes from iron oxide - rust.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Ring rust is just something people come out with when they've boxed badly.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
The colour changed, tending towards a red like rust.
Aldiss, Brian Somewhere East of Life (1994)
To claim victory, he will have to win the rust belt without resorting to naked protectionism.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Its back was the colour of old, dark rust and its head was a lighter brown.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
But the Yorkshireman showed no signs of ring rust.
The Sun (2015)
If you have an old rust bucket, you may want a dependable car.
Christianity Today (2000)
We say The first coat was a bit streaky but after two the unusual rust colour looked great.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
An increasingly common problem is rusting to the iron cramps used to hold masonry together in Victorian spires.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
QI am having problems with rusting disc brakes.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Gradually turning from pink to dark red to rust, the flowers are almost as durable as the foliage.
Eddison, Sydney A Patchwork Garden: Unexpected Pleasures from a Country Garden (1990)
They were brown with rust.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
This is willow rust fungus.
The Sun (2013)
That's enough to produce the red bed rust and enough to begin establishing an ozone layer that could block ultraviolet radiation.
Levenson, Thomas Ice Time: Climate, Science, and Life on Earth (1990)
Age may have affected me and there's lack of competition, ring rust.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
His relatives were buried in a modest plot, surrounded by maize fields, and a rusting metal fence.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
It's good for roasting and doesn't have the problems of rust and rot suffered by its garlic cousins.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Word lists with
rust
programming language
In other languages
rust
British English: rust /rʌst/ NOUN
Rust is a brown substance that forms on iron or steel when it comes into contact with water.
The old car was red with rust.
American English: rust
Arabic: صَدَأ
Brazilian Portuguese: ferrugem
Chinese: 铁锈
Croatian: hrđa
Czech: rez
Danish: rust
Dutch: roest
European Spanish: herrumbre
Finnish: ruoste
French: rouille
German: Rost
Greek: σκουριά
Italian: ruggine
Japanese: さび 腐食
Korean: 녹 녹슬다
Norwegian: rust
Polish: rdza
European Portuguese: ferrugem
Romanian: rugină
Russian: ржавчина
Latin American Spanish: óxido
Swedish: rost
Thai: สนิม
Turkish: pas metal
Ukrainian: іржа
Vietnamese: rỉ
British English: rust VERB
When a metal object rusts, it becomes covered in rust and often loses its strength.
Copper nails are better than iron nails because the iron rusts.
American English: rust
Brazilian Portuguese: enferrujar
Chinese: 生锈
European Spanish: oxidarse
French: rouiller
German: rosten
Italian: arrugginirsi
Japanese: さびる
Korean: 녹슬다
European Portuguese: enferrujar
Latin American Spanish: oxidarse
All related terms of 'rust'
rust away
When a metal object rusts away , it is gradually weakened and destroyed by rust.
rust belt
In the United States and some other countries, the Rust Belt is a region which used to have a lot of manufacturing industry, but whose economy is now in difficulty .
black rust
a stage in any of several diseases of cereals and grasses caused by rust fungi in which black masses of spores appear on the stems or leaves
rust bucket
something that is run-down or dilapidated , esp a very badly rusted car
rust fungus
a reddish-brown oxide coating formed on iron or steel by the action of oxygen and moisture
wheat rust
a rust fungus , Puccinia graminis, that attacks cereals , esp wheat , and the barberry
blister rust
a disease of certain pines caused by rust fungi of the genus Cronartium , causing swellings on the bark from which orange masses of spores are released
rust-colored
having the color of iron rust ; reddish-brown or reddish-yellow
rust-coloured
a reddish-brown oxide coating formed on iron or steel by the action of oxygen and moisture
rust-resistant
treated against rusting
Chinese translation of 'rust'
rust
(rʌst)
n(u)
铁(鐵)锈(鏽) (tiěxiù)
vi
[iron, car etc]生锈(鏽) (shēngxiù)
vt
[iron, car etc]使生锈(鏽) (shǐ shēngxiù)
1 (noun)
Definition
a reddish-brown oxide coating formed on iron or steel by the action of oxygen and moisture
a decaying tractor, red with rust
Synonyms
corrosion
oxidation
2 (noun)
Definition
a fungal disease of plants which produces a reddish-brown discoloration
canker, rust, mildew or insect attack
Synonyms
mildew
The room smelt of mildew.
must
The air was heady with the smell of must.
mould
jars of jam with mould on them
rot
Investigations revealed rot in the beams.
blight
the worst year of the potato blight
(adjective)
Definition
reddish-brown
a pair of rust slacks
Synonyms
reddish-brown
reddish
russet
coppery
1 (verb)
Definition
to become coated with a layer of rust
The bolt on the door had rusted.
Synonyms
corrode
Engineers found that the structure had been corroded by moisture.
decay
tarnish
It never rusts or tarnishes.
oxidize
become rusty
2 (verb)
Definition
to deteriorate through lack of use
If you rest, you rust.
Synonyms
deteriorate
X-rays are used to prevent fresh food from deteriorating.
decline
Her father's health has declined significantly in recent months.
decay
The work ethic in this country has decayed over the past 30 years.
stagnate
His career had stagnated.
atrophy
His muscle atrophied, and he had difficulty walking.
go stale
Additional synonyms
in the sense of atrophy
Definition
to waste away
His muscle atrophied, and he had difficulty walking.
Synonyms
waste away,
waste,
shrink,
diminish,
deteriorate,
decay,
dwindle,
wither,
wilt,
degenerate,
shrivel
in the sense of blight
Definition
a fungus or insect that causes blight in plants
the worst year of the potato blight
Synonyms
disease,
plague,
pest,
fungus,
contamination,
mildew,
contagion,
infestation,
pestilence,
canker,
cancer
in the sense of decay
Definition
to decline gradually in health, prosperity, or quality
The work ethic in this country has decayed over the past 30 years.
Synonyms
decline,
sink,
break down,
diminish,
dissolve,
crumble,
deteriorate,
fall off,
dwindle,
lessen,
wane,
disintegrate,
degenerate
Synonyms of 'rust'
rust
Explore 'rust' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of decline
Definition
to become smaller, weaker, or less important
Her father's health has declined significantly in recent months.
Synonyms
deteriorate,
fade,
weaken,
pine,
decay,
worsen,
lapse,
languish,
degenerate,
droop
in the sense of mould
Definition
a coating or discoloration caused by various fungi that develop in a damp atmosphere on food, fabrics, and walls
jars of jam with mould on them
Synonyms
fungus,
blight,
mildew,
mustiness,
mouldiness
in the sense of must
The air was heady with the smell of must.
Synonyms
mould,
rot,
decay,
mildew,
mustiness,
fustiness,
fetor,
mouldiness
in the sense of rot
Definition
the process of rotting or the state of being rotten
Investigations revealed rot in the beams.
Synonyms
decay,
disintegration,
corrosion,
decomposition,
corruption,
mould,
blight,
deterioration,
canker,
putrefaction,
putrescence
in the sense of stagnate
Definition
to become inactive or unchanging
His career had stagnated.
Synonyms
vegetate,
decline,
deteriorate,
rot,
decay,
idle,
rust,
languish,
stand still,
fester,
go to seed,
lie fallow
in the sense of tarnish
Definition
(of a metal) to become stained or less bright, esp. by exposure to air or moisture