DECOMPOSE: Synonyms and Related Words. What is Another Word for DECOMPOSE?

Need another word that means the same as “decompose”? Find 20 synonyms and 30 related words for “decompose” in this overview.

The synonyms of “Decompose” are: break down, break up, decay, disintegrate, molder, moulder, rot, putrefy, go bad, go off, spoil, fester, perish, deteriorate, degrade, break apart, fall apart, fragment, crumble, dissolve

Decompose as a Verb

Definitions of "Decompose" as a verb

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “decompose” as a verb can have the following definitions:

• (with reference to a dead body or other organic matter) make or become rotten; decay or cause to decay.
• Lose a stored charge, magnetic flux, or current.
• Break down.
• Express (a number or function) as a combination of simpler components.
• (with reference to a chemical compound) break down or cause to break down into component elements or simpler constituents.
• Separate (substances) into constituent elements or parts.

Synonyms of "Decompose" as a verb (20 Words)

break apart	Fall sharply.
break down	Break down literally or metaphorically.
break up	Fall sharply.
crumble	Fall into decay or ruin. The cookies crumbled.
decay	Undergo decay or decomposition. The moral authority of the party was decaying.
degrade	Wear down (rock) and cause it to disintegrate. The bacteria will degrade hydrocarbons.
deteriorate	Grow worse. If the situation continues to deteriorate the consequences could be severe.
disintegrate	Lose strength or cohesion and gradually fail. It has become a relatively easy matter to disintegrate almost any atom.
dissolve	Declare void. She suddenly dissolved into floods of tears.
fall apart	Come under, be classified or included.
fester	(of a wound or sore) become septic; suppurate. I developed a tropical sore that festered badly.
fragment	Break or cause to break into fragments. Management has tighter control through fragmenting the tasks.
go bad	Have a particular form.
go off	Pass, fare, or elapse; of a certain state of affairs or action.
molder	Break down.
moulder	Break down. The books if any are ever printed will moulder in the warehouse.
perish	Suffer complete ruin or destruction. The children perished in the fire.
putrefy	Become putrid; decay with an offensive smell. The body was beginning to putrefy.
rot	Gradually deteriorate, especially through neglect. The education system has been allowed to rot.
spoil	(of food) become unfit for eating. He is spoiling for a fight.

Usage Examples of "Decompose" as a verb

• In how many ways can one decompose a number as a sum of squares?
• The body had begun to decompose.
• Dead plant matter can be completely decomposed by microorganisms.
• The bodies decomposed in the heat.
• Many chemicals decompose rapidly under high temperature.
• Living organisms are used to decompose water into hydrogen and oxygen.

Associations of "Decompose" (30 Words)

belittle	Dismiss (someone or something) as unimportant. She belittled Amy s riding skills whenever she could.
corpse	Cause (an actor) to forget their lines and start laughing. One singer ad libbed and corpsed his colleagues on stage.
corrupt	Corrupt morally or by intemperance or sensuality. The corrupting smell of death.
corruptive	Tending to corrupt or pervert.
decay	An inferior state resulting from the process of decaying. Fluoride heals small spots of decay.
decomposition	Separation of a substance into two or more substances that may differ from each other and from the original substance. The decomposition of organic waste.
deconstruct	Analyse a text or linguistic or conceptual system by deconstruction. I want to deconstruct this myth that poverty breeds crime.
depravity	A corrupt or depraved or degenerate act or practice. Its brothels its opium parlors its depravity.
deteriorate	Become progressively worse. Relations between the countries had deteriorated sharply.
disassemble	Take apart into its constituent pieces. The piston can be disassembled for transport.
disband	Stop functioning or cohering as a unit. The unit was scheduled to disband.
disintegrate	Break into parts or components or lose cohesion or unity. Our shoes had to last until they disintegrated on our feet.
disintegration	The spontaneous disintegration of a radioactive substance along with the emission of ionizing radiation. A disintegration of personality.
dismantle	Tear down so as to make flat with the ground. The old regime was dismantled.
dismember	Divide into pieces. The tiger dismembered the tourist.
dissolution	The termination or disintegration of a relationship (between persons or nations. The dissolution of their marriage.
dissolve	Annul or end (a partnership or marriage. Dissolve a stock cube in a pint of hot water.
erosive	Wearing away by friction. The erosive effects of waves on the shoreline.
foul	Hit a foul ball. Foul language.
iron	Smooth clothes sheets etc with an iron. She stood there ironing.
malodorous	Smelling very unpleasant. Leaking taps and malodorous drains.
molder	Break down.
perishable	(of something abstract) having a brief life or significance; transitory. The storage of perishable foods.
putrefaction	The process of decay or rotting in a body or other organic matter. Rome had fallen into moral putrefaction.
putrescent	Undergoing the process of decay; rotting. The odour of putrescent flesh.
putrid	Morally corrupt or evil. The cocktail is a putrid pink colour.
rot	Rotten or decayed matter. The chalets were neglected and their woodwork was rotting away.
rotten	Damaged by decay; hence unsound and useless. Rotten floor boards.
solvable	Capable of being solved. Such problems are perfectly solvable.
spoilage	Waste produced by material being spoilt, especially paper that is spoilt in printing.