rotverb [ I or T ]
uk/rɒt/us/rɑːt/-tt-C2 to (cause something to) decay:
The fruit had been left to rot on the trees.
Rain has got in and rotted (away) the woodwork.
the smell of rotting fruit
More examples
- Most of the crops had rotted in waterlogged fields.
- Leave the leaves in a pile to rot.
- Sugar rots your teeth.
- The wood had rotted into dust.
- Fruit had been left to rot in the fields.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Decaying and staying fresh
- best-before date
- biodegradable
- biodegrade
- compostable
- decay
- decompose
- go off
- keep
- molder
- out of date
- perishable
- pull date
- putrefaction
- putrefy
- putrid
- rack
- seed
- shrivel
- spoil
- wormy
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Idiom(s)
rot in jail, prison, etc.
rotnoun [ U ]
uk/rɒt/us/rɑːt/decay:
Rot has got into the furniture.
old-fashioned informal nonsense:
Don't talk rot!
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Decaying and staying fresh
- best-before date
- biodegradable
- biodegrade
- compostable
- decay
- decompose
- go off
- keep
- molder
- out of date
- perishable
- pull date
- putrefaction
- putrefy
- putrid
- rack
- seed
- shrivel
- spoil
- wormy
See more results »
Idiom(s)
the rot sets in
stop the rot