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View synonyms for

decompose

[ dee-kuhm-pohz ]

verb (used with object)

decomposed, decomposing.
  1. to separate or resolve into constituent parts or elements; disintegrate:

    The bacteria decomposed the milk into its solid and liquid elements.

    Synonyms: , ,



verb (used without object)

decomposed, decomposing.
  1. to rot; putrefy:

    The egg began to decompose after a day in the sun.

decompose

/ ˌdiːkəmˈpəʊz; ˌdiːkɒmpəˈzɪʃən /

verb

  1. to break down (organic matter) or (of organic matter) to be broken down physically and chemically by bacterial or fungal action; rot
  2. chem to break down or cause to break down into simpler chemical compounds
  3. to break up or separate into constituent parts
  4. tr maths to express in terms of a number of independent simpler components, as a set as a canonical union of disjoint subsets, or a vector into orthogonal components
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˌ𳦴dzˌDzˈٲ, noun
  • decomposition, noun
  • ˌ𳦴dzˈDz, adjective
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Other Word Forms

  • cdz·Dza· adjective
  • cdz·Dza·i·ٲ noun
  • ܲd·dz·Dza· adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of decompose1

1745–55; < French édzDz, equivalent to é- dis- 1 + composer to compose
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Synonym Study

See decay.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

He added that the fifth body was decomposed and had not yet been identified.

From

On 1 March 2023 baby Victoria's decomposed body was found under some rubbish in a bag for life in a shed on the allotment.

From

Her body was so badly decomposed that pathologists could not ascertain the cause of death.

From

Otherwise, the mulch and other organic amendments are just diluting the soil readings, and once they decompose, the lead will still be waiting in the soil.

From

The baby's decomposing body was found in a plastic bag in a shed on a Brighton allotment almost two months later.

From

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decompensationdecomposed