MEANING
To break down or cause something to break down into simpler substances or constituent parts.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- decompose organic matter
- a decomposing body
On the page
The remains began to decompose before the sealed room was opened.
Microbes decomposed the organic material trapped beneath the tank.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- decompose
- Past tense
- decomposed
- Past participle
- decomposed
- Present participle
- decomposing
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- decompose
- Present continuous
- am/is/are decomposing
- Present perfect
- have/has decomposed
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been decomposing
- Past
- decomposed
- Past continuous
- was/were decomposing
- Past perfect
- had decomposed
- Past perfect continuous
- had been decomposing
- Future
- will decompose
- Future continuous
- will be decomposing
- Future perfect
- will have decomposed
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been decomposing
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
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Usage notes
Primary category: horror. Forms: decompose; decomposes; decomposed; decomposed; decomposing Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Third-person singular: decomposes.
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