rot
/rɔt/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun:
- Decay or decomposition: The process by which organic matter breaks down, often due to bacterial or fungal action, typically producing an unpleasant smell.
- Nonsense, foolish talk: Unacceptable or ludicrously false statements; something considered stupid or worthless.
Verb:
- To decay or decompose: To undergo the process of rotting; to break down and become physically weaker or waste away.
- To deteriorate morally or mentally: To decline in condition, quality, or character.
Usage Examples
Noun:
- The wood was soft with rot. (The wood had decayed and become soft.)
- Don't talk such rot! (Don't say such nonsense!)
Verb:
- The fallen leaves began to rot on the forest floor. (The leaves started to decompose.)
- Without purpose, his mind seemed to rot. (His mind appeared to deteriorate.)
Advanced Usage
- The rot set in: A phrase describing the point when a situation begins to deteriorate or fail continuously.
- After the manager left, the rot set in and the company declined rapidly.
- To stop the rot: To take action to prevent further decline or failure.
- The new policy was introduced to stop the rot in public confidence.
Variants and Related Words
- Rotten (adj): Decayed, spoiled, or morally corrupt.
- Rotter (n, informal, dated): A contemptible or unpleasant person.
Synonyms
- Decay (n/v): The process or state of rotting.
- Decompose (v): To rot or break down into constituent parts.
- Nonsense (n): Spoken or written words that have no meaning or make no sense.
Related Phrasal Verbs
- Rot away: To decay or waste away gradually until little or nothing remains.
- The old pier is rotting away into the sea.
- Rot off: (Of a part of a plant) to decay and fall off.
- The branches had rotted off in the damp climate.
Related Idioms
- Talk rot: To speak nonsense.
- He's talking absolute rot about the project being easy.
- A rotten apple: A bad person who has a corrupting influence on others in a group.
- The investigation aimed to find the rotten apple in the department.
Noun
- unacceptable behavior (especially ludicrously false statements)
- (biology) the process of decay caused by bacterial or fungal action
- a state of decay usually accompanied by an offensive odor
Verb
- become physically weaker
- Political prisoners are wasting away in many prisons all over the world
- break down
- The bodies decomposed in the heat