rot
Decay or decompose naturally
To slowly break down and go bad, like old food, wood, or a dead animal.
[something] rots
- If you leave the strawberries out on the counter, they will rot within a few days.
- The wooden beams had rotted after years of exposure to rain.
- A bad smell told us that something was rotting under the floorboards.
- Without proper dental care, your teeth can rot over time.
- The apples are old and starting to rot.
- The tree trunk rotted after many wet winters.
- Meat rots quickly if it is not kept cold.
- They found a bird that had rotted in the hot sun.
Make something decay or decompose
To make something slowly break down and go bad.
to rot [something]
- Constant leaks had rotted the wooden floor under the sink.
- The salty air slowly rots the metal on seaside houses.
- Leaving wet leaves on the grass can rot the lawn.
- The infection had rotted the tissue around the wound.
- Water can rot the wood of a house.
- The rain rotted their old tent.
- Bad teeth can rot the bone in your jaw.
- Moist air rots the clothes in the closet.
Waste away in bad conditions
To stay in a bad place or situation for a long time and slowly become worse.
to rot in [a place]
- He spent ten years rotting in prison for a crime he did not commit.
- I feel like my brain is rotting from watching so much mindless television.
- They left the old man to rot in a care home, rarely visiting him.
- She refused to rot away in a dead-end job and finally quit.
- He does nothing all day and just rots in front of the TV.
- The prisoners rot in small, dirty cells.
- I don’t want to rot in this office all my life.
- She said, "Let him rot in jail for what he did."
State or process of decomposition
The condition of something that is decaying or has decayed, like soft, damaged, or bad-smelling parts.
- There was serious rot in the wooden window frames.
- The inspector found rot in the roof beams and recommended immediate repairs.
- The sweet smell of rot hung in the abandoned house.
- We had to cut away the rot before repainting the door.
- The wood has rot in the middle.
- We must fix the rot before the house falls down.
- He cleaned the rot from the old fruit box.
- The doctor saw rot in the dead tissue.
Nonsense; something foolish or untrue
Stupid or untrue ideas or words; nonsense.
- What a load of rot! You know that story isn’t true.
- His article is absolute rot from beginning to end.
- Don’t talk such rot; you know you can pass the exam if you try.
- She dismissed the rumors as pure rot.
- That idea is complete rot.
- He talks rot when he is angry.
- She said the report was a load of rot.
- I don’t believe that rot about him being a hero.
Plant or wood decay disease
A problem in plants or wood where part of it becomes soft and breaks down because of disease.
- Overwatering can lead to root rot in houseplants.
- The farmer lost much of the crop to a type of stem rot.
- An expert confirmed that the beams were damaged by dry rot.
- The apples showed signs of brown rot after the wet summer.
- The plant died because of root rot.
- We must cut away the rot from the tree.
- Dry rot can make a house unsafe.
- They treated the wood to stop rot.
Corrupt or weaken from within
To slowly make something, like a system or a person’s character, bad or weak from the inside.
[something] rots [something] from the inside
- They warned that unchecked corruption would rot the country from within.
- Fear and distrust had slowly rotted the team’s spirit.
- The novel shows how power can rot even the kindest person.
- A sense of hopelessness seemed to rot the community over the years.
- Corruption can rot a country from the inside.
- Lies slowly rot a relationship.
- Greed can rot a good company.
- Hatred will rot your heart if you keep it.
Exclamation meaning “nonsense!”
An old-fashioned shout used to say that something is nonsense.
- “You’ll never manage it,” he said. “Rot,” she answered, “I’ll be fine.”
- “He did it for love.” “Rot! He did it for the money.”
- “Rot,” he muttered, unwilling to listen to another excuse.
- “Rot,” she said, “that story is not true.”
- He shouted, “Rot! I don’t believe you.”
- “Rot,” the old man replied, “you are just lazy.”
- Base: rot
- Plural: rot, rots
- Base: rot
- 3rd Person Singular: rots
- Present Participle: rotting
- Past: rotted
- Irregular present participle: rotting Verb
- Irregular past: rotted Verb
a load of rot
11A lot of nonsense
Used to say that something is complete nonsense and not worth believing.
- That article is a load of rot; don’t believe a word of it.
- What he said about quitting school being smart is a load of rot.
dry rot
2Fungal decay of dry wood
A serious problem where a fungus destroys dry wood, often in buildings.
- The survey showed extensive dry rot in the floorboards.
- They had to replace the whole staircase because of dry rot.
rot away
1Decay until almost gone
To slowly decay until most or all of something is gone.
- The old pier has rotted away and is now just a few posts in the water.
- If you leave that car in the field, it will simply rot away.
rot in hell
7Curse wishing eternal suffering
A very strong and rude way to say that you hope someone suffers forever, especially after death.
- “I hope you rot in hell,” she shouted as he was taken away.
- The message simply said, “Rot in hell for what you did.”
rot off
4Break off due to decay
To break away from something because the material has decayed.
- The bottom of the door had rotted off after years of getting wet.
- Several branches had rotted off in the storm.
stop the rot
8Stop a situation getting worse
To take action so that a bad situation does not continue or become even worse.
- The company needs a new strategy to stop the rot after three years of losses.
- A quick goal after half-time helped stop the rot for the home team.
talk rot
10Say foolish or untrue things
To say things that are foolish, not true, or not sensible.
- You’re talking rot if you think this plan will work.
- He always talks rot when he’s drunk.
the rot sets in
9Point when decline begins
Used when a situation starts to become bad and then usually continues to get worse.
- The team lost one game and then the rot set in; they didn’t win again all season.
- This is where the rot sets in, if we don’t deal with the problem now.
wet rot
3Fungal decay of damp wood
A problem where a fungus destroys wood that stays wet or very damp.
- The window frames suffered from wet rot due to years of leaking rainwater.
- Wet rot had spread along the base of the wall.
rot in jail
5spend long time in jail
To stay in jail for a very long time, usually in bad conditions and with no hope of leaving soon.
- The judge said he hoped the killer would rot in jail.
- They are afraid their son will rot in jail if the law does not change.
- Many political prisoners are left to rot in jail for years.
rot in jail
6Suffer in jail for years
To stay in jail for a very long time and suffer there, often used when someone strongly wishes this to happen to a criminal.
- He deserves to rot in jail for what he did to those children.
- The judge told him he would rot in jail if he ever broke the law again.