rot
gb/ɹˈɑt/ us/ɹˈɑt/
B1
Αγγλικά
~ 9300
Σημασίες
0 σημασίες
Ρήμα
B1
event
1
Decay or decompose naturally
To slowly break down and go bad, like old food, wood, or a dead animal.
Μοτίβο χρήσης:
[something] rots
Συχνό λάθος:
Learners sometimes say *"the food became rot"* instead of *"the food rotted"*. Use the verb form *rot/rotted* for the action, and the noun *rot* for the thing or state, as in *"There was rot in the wood."*
Συνώνυμα
decay (Slightly more formal and scientific; often used for both physical and moral decline.)
Αντώνυμα
preserve (Means to keep something from decaying or going bad.)
Συνδυασμοί λέξεων
food rots
|fruit rots
|wood rots
|teeth rot
|the body rots
|garbage rots
Θέματα
nature
|science
|food
|health
Παραδείγματα
- 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.
Παραδείγματα για μαθητές
- 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.
Ρήμα
B2
action
2
Make something decay or decompose
To make something slowly break down and go bad.
Μοτίβο χρήσης:
to rot [something]
Συχνό λάθος:
Learners may use *"destroy"* instead of *"rot"* for slow damage from moisture or time. Use *rot* when the breaking down is slow and often natural, especially with wood, fabric, or food.
Συνώνυμα
decompose (More technical; often used in scientific contexts about materials or waste.)
Αντώνυμα
protect (Focuses on preventing damage or decay from happening.)
Συνδυασμοί λέξεων
moisture rots wood
|damp rots the floorboards
|standing water rots the foundation
|rain rotted the fence
|the humidity rotted the books
Θέματα
nature
|construction
|daily_life
|science
Παραδείγματα
- 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.
Παραδείγματα για μαθητές
- 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.
Ρήμα
B2
state
3
Waste away in bad conditions
To stay in a bad place or situation for a long time and slowly become worse.
Μοτίβο χρήσης:
to rot in [a place]
Συχνό λάθος:
Learners sometimes take this sense too literally and use it for any kind of staying, e.g. *"I will rot at home tonight"* when they just mean *stay at home*. Use *rot* here only when you want to stress that the situation is bad and slowly harming someone.
Συνώνυμα
languish (More formal; emphasizes suffering and lack of progress in a bad situation.)
Αντώνυμα
thrive (Suggests being active, healthy, and doing very well instead of slowly getting worse.)
Συνδυασμοί λέξεων
rot in jail
|rot in prison
|rot in hell
|rot at home
|mind rots
|brain is rotting
Θέματα
crime
|emotions
|society
|health
Παραδείγματα
- 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.
Παραδείγματα για μαθητές
- 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."
Ουσιαστικό
B2
event
4
State or process of decomposition
The condition of something that is decaying or has decayed, like soft, damaged, or bad-smelling parts.
Συχνό λάθος:
Learners sometimes say *"a rot"* for this sense. Usually *rot* is uncountable: *"There is rot in the wood"*, not *"There is a rot in the wood."*
Συνώνυμα
decay (Very close in meaning; a bit more formal and common in scientific or technical contexts.)
Αντώνυμα
soundness (Used especially for wood or structures that are solid and not damaged by rot.)
Συνδυασμοί λέξεων
signs of rot
|wood rot
|to prevent rot
|to remove rot
|soft with rot
|smell of rot
Θέματα
nature
|construction
|health
|science
Παραδείγματα
- 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.
Παραδείγματα για μαθητές
- 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.
Ουσιαστικό
informal
B2
entity
5
Nonsense; something foolish or untrue
Stupid or untrue ideas or words; nonsense.
Συχνό λάθος:
Learners may confuse this noun with the verb and say *"He is rotting"* when they mean *"He is talking rot"*. Use the noun *rot* after verbs like *talk*, *believe*, or *be* when you mean *nonsense*.
Συνώνυμα
nonsense (The most common neutral word; *rot* is more informal and often BrE.)
Αντώνυμα
truth (Direct opposite when *rot* is used for ideas that are not true.)
Συνδυασμοί λέξεων
a load of rot
|utter rot
|complete rot
|talk rot
|believe that rot
|filled with rot
Θέματα
language
|opinions
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Παραδείγματα
- 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.
Παραδείγματα για μαθητές
- 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.
Ουσιαστικό
technical
C1
entity
6
Plant or wood decay disease
A problem in plants or wood where part of it becomes soft and breaks down because of disease.
Συχνό λάθος:
Learners may not realize that *rot* here names a specific disease, not just general damage. In gardening or building texts, *rot* often refers to a particular diagnosed problem, like *root rot* or *dry rot*.
Συνώνυμα
blight (A general word for plant diseases; not all blight is rot, but both damage plants.)
Αντώνυμα
healthy growth (Describes plants or wood without disease or decay.)
Συνδυασμοί λέξεων
root rot
|stem rot
|crown rot
|brown rot
|potato rot
|dry rot
Θέματα
science
|agriculture
|construction
|nature
Παραδείγματα
- 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.
Παραδείγματα για μαθητές
- 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.
Ρήμα
literary
C1
action
7
Corrupt or weaken from within
To slowly make something, like a system or a person’s character, bad or weak from the inside.
Μοτίβο χρήσης:
[something] rots [something] from the inside
Συχνό λάθος:
Learners sometimes use *rot* literally in contexts where a metaphor is expected, or choose *spoil* instead. *Rot* here is quite strong and literary, often talking about corruption in society, politics, or character.
Συνώνυμα
corrupt (Focuses on making someone or something morally bad; *rot* is more vivid and metaphorical.)
Αντώνυμα
strengthen (Describes making a system or character stronger instead of weakening it.)
Συνδυασμοί λέξεων
rot from within
|rot from the inside
|corruption rots the system
|greed rots society
|moral values rot
|a culture rotted by fear
Θέματα
society
|politics
|ethics
|core_vocabulary
Παραδείγματα
- 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.
Παραδείγματα για μαθητές
- 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.
interjection
archaic
C2
action
8
Exclamation meaning “nonsense!”
An old-fashioned shout used to say that something is nonsense.
Συχνό λάθος:
This use is old-fashioned and mainly seen in older British books. Learners sometimes try to use it in modern speech, where it can sound strange or humorous. In current English, people usually say *“Nonsense!”* or *“That’s rubbish!”* instead.
Συνώνυμα
nonsense (Used as an exclamation with similar meaning; more common in modern English.)
Αντώνυμα
exactly (As an exclamation, it agrees strongly instead of rejecting what was said.)
Συνδυασμοί λέξεων
Rot, I don’t believe it!
|Oh, rot!
|Rot to that idea
Θέματα
language
|emotions
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Παραδείγματα
- “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.
Παραδείγματα για μαθητές
- “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.”
Γραμματική
Λημματική μορφή
rot
IPA
GB/ɹˈɑt/
US/ɹˈɑt/
Συλλαβές και τόνος
rot (1 συλλαβή)
Stress on 1st syllable (rot)
Τύποι λέξης
Noun
- Base: rot
- Plural: rot, rots
Verb
- Base: rot
- 3rd Person Singular: rots
- Present Participle: rotting
- Past: rotted
Οικογένεια λέξεων
Forms
rots
noun
rotting
verb
rotted
verb
Core family
rotten
adjective A2
Related words
rottenness
noun
Κύρια σημεία
- Irregular present participle: rotting Verb
- Irregular past: rotted Verb
Εκφράσεις
a load of rot
11/ə lˈoʊd əv ɹˈɑt/
fixed phrase
informal
A lot of nonsense
Used to say that something is complete nonsense and not worth believing.
Παραδείγματα
- 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
2/dɹˈaɪ ɹˈɑt/
fixed phrase
technical
Fungal decay of dry wood
A serious problem where a fungus destroys dry wood, often in buildings.
Παραδείγματα
- The survey showed extensive dry rot in the floorboards.
- They had to replace the whole staircase because of dry rot.
rot away
1/ɹˈɑt əwˈeɪ/
phrasal verb
Decay until almost gone
To slowly decay until most or all of something is gone.
Παραδείγματα
- 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
7/ɹˈɑt ˈɪn hˈɛl/
fixed phrase
vulgar
Curse wishing eternal suffering
A very strong and rude way to say that you hope someone suffers forever, especially after death.
Παραδείγματα
- “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
4/ɹˈɑt ˈɔf/
phrasal verb
Break off due to decay
To break away from something because the material has decayed.
Παραδείγματα
- The bottom of the door had rotted off after years of getting wet.
- Several branches had rotted off in the storm.
stop the rot
8/stˈɑp ðə ɹˈɑt/
idiom
Stop a situation getting worse
To take action so that a bad situation does not continue or become even worse.
Παραδείγματα
- 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
10/tˈɔk ɹˈɑt/
fixed phrase
informal
Say foolish or untrue things
To say things that are foolish, not true, or not sensible.
Παραδείγματα
- You’re talking rot if you think this plan will work.
- He always talks rot when he’s drunk.
the rot sets in
9/ðə ɹˈɑt sˈɛts ˈɪn/
idiom
Point when decline begins
Used when a situation starts to become bad and then usually continues to get worse.
Παραδείγματα
- 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
3/wˈɛt ɹˈɑt/
fixed phrase
technical
Fungal decay of damp wood
A problem where a fungus destroys wood that stays wet or very damp.
Παραδείγματα
- 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
5/ɹˈɑt ˈɪn d͡ʒˈeɪl/
idiom
informal
spend long time in jail
To stay in jail for a very long time, usually in bad conditions and with no hope of leaving soon.
Παραδείγματα
- 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
6/ɹˈɑt ˈɪn d͡ʒˈeɪl/
idiom
informal
Suffer 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.
Παραδείγματα
- 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.