Rotting

noun, verb

noun, verb ·2 syllables ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    The process by which something rots.

    "[…] the mould on the boles of the other [trees], that lyes commonly there, and is made of the annual rottings of their own leaves."

  2. 2
    (biology) the process of decay caused by bacterial or fungal action wordnet
  3. 3
    Material that has rotted.

    "From the compost rinds and rottings, from the garbage peels, from the shadows' darkness, darkness, this guttered meal and all its redolence."

Verb
  1. 1
    present participle and gerund of rot form-of, gerund, participle, present

Synonyms

All synonyms
badbreakdowncankeredcariouscorruptcorruption

Example

More examples

"The stench of rotting flesh overwhelmed us as we entered the room."

Etymology

From Middle English rotynge (“rotting”), from Old English rotung; equivalent to rot + -ing. Conflated with Middle English rotende, present participle of roten (“to rot”), from Old English rotiende, present participle of rotian (“to rot”).

Related phrases

bed rotting

More for "rotting"

SynonymsSentencesPronunciationTranslate

Next best steps

Find stronger synonymsSee usage examplesCheck pronunciationBrowse writing guides

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.