english
1
general::
verb
rot:
Food can decay without refrigeration.
noun
decline:
The decay was apparent to all.
Simple Definitions
2
general::
decay
verbs
cause decay
• Bacteria stick to food and cause decay.
prevent decay
• You can use a preservative on the wood to prevent further decay.
ADJECTIVES/NOUN + decay
tooth/dental decay
• Eating too much sugar causes tooth decay.
natural decay
• Everything in our environment is subject to natural decay.
phrases
the process of decay
• The natural processes of decay gradually destroys archaeological sites.
a sign of decay
• I couldn't see any signs of decay on the fruit.
transnet.ir
3
general::
noun VERB + DECAY rapid | slow | dental, tooth | economic, industrial, urban | moral, physical, social VERB + DECAY cause Bacteria sticks to food debris in the teeth, causing decay. | stop Without a lot of money, the mayor won't be able to stop urban decay. | reverse This government promises to reverse industrial decay. | prevent The wood is treated with preservative to prevent decay. | fall into old buildings that had fallen into decay PREP. in ~ The derelict buildings are the signs of a town in decay. | ~ in Smoking accelerates age-related decay in the heart and arteries. | ~ of the slow decay of the castle and the surrounding buildings PHRASES the process of decay, signs of decay My dentist could not find any signs of decay. | an odour/a smell/a stench of decay A smell of decay pervaded the air. | a state of decay
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
4
general::
decay
to be slowly destroyed by a natural chemical process – use this especially about natural things such as wood or plants, or about teeth:
• The leaves decay and enrich the soil. • He had bad breath and decaying teeth. • The fabric slowly began to decay.
rot
to decay. Rot is less formal than decay and is more common in everyday English:
• The fruit was left to rot on the ground. • rotting teeth • Most of the wood under the paint had rotted. • the smell of rotting vegetation (= decaying leaves and plants )
go off
British English if food goes off, it starts to smell bad and is no longer be safe to eat:
• I think the milk’s gone off. • The meat smells as if it's gone off.
spoil
if food spoils, it starts to decay, so that it is no longer safe to eat. Spoil is more formal and is less common in everyday British English than go off:
• Food left in the sun will quickly start to spoil.
go mouldy
British English , moldy American English to begin to have a soft green or black substance growing on the surface of the food, so that it is not good to eat any more:
• Ugh, the cheese has gone mouldy!
decompose
formal to decay – use this especially about dead plants or flesh:
• leaves decomposing on the forest floor
putrefy
formal to decay and have a very bad smell – use this especially about flesh or plants:
• After two days, the body was already beginning to putrefy. • putrefying meat
biodegrade
to decay naturally into substances that do not harm the environment – use this especially about man-made materials and chemicals:
• Unlike many other materials, plastic does not biodegrade.
Longman-Thesaurus