decay - definition, thesaurus and related words from WordNet-Online

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Noun decay has 5 senses

decay - the process of gradually becoming inferior
--₁ is a kind of natural process, natural action, action, activity
--₁ has particulars:
cavity, caries, dental caries, tooth decay; corruption; decomposition, rot, rotting, putrefaction; dilapidation, ruin; spoilage, spoiling
decay, decline - a gradual decrease; as of stored charge or current
--₂ is a kind of decrease, decrement
--₂ has particulars: exponential decay, exponential return
Derived form: verb decay₁
decay, decomposition - the organic phenomenon of rotting
--₃ is a kind of organic phenomenon

Derived forms: verb decay₃, verb decay₂
decay - an inferior state resulting from the process of decaying; "the corpse was in an advanced state of decay"; "the house had fallen into a serious state of decay and disrepair"
--₄ is a kind of unsoundness
--₄ has particulars:
putrefaction, rot; decomposition, disintegration; deterioration, impairment

Derived form: verb decay₂
decay, radioactive decay, disintegration - the spontaneous disintegration of a radioactive substance along with the emission of ionizing radiation
--₅ is a kind of nuclear reaction
--₅ has particulars: alpha decay; beta decay
Derived form: verb decay₁

Verb decay has 3 senses

disintegrate, decay, decompose - lose a stored charge, magnetic flux, or current; "the particles disintegrated during the nuclear fission process"
--₁ is one way to change integrity

Derived forms: noun decay₅, noun decay₂
Sample sentence:
Something ----s
decay, crumble, delapidate - fall into decay or ruin; "The unoccupied house started to decay"
--₂ is one way to change

Derived forms: noun decay₄, noun decay₃, noun decadent₁
Sample sentences:
Something ----s
Somebody ----s
decay - undergo decay or decomposition; "The body started to decay and needed to be cremated"
--₃ is one way to change

Derived form: noun decay₃
Sample sentence:
Something ----s