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fester

[fes-ter] / ˈfɛs tər /


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Sweeping contentious issues under the rug and relegating them to wanton aggravation is one major way of letting these same topics fester.

From Salon • Apr. 3, 2026

"We saw the police stand by and do nothing and, sadly, we've seen that from that moment on hate was allowed to fester."

From Barron's • Dec. 17, 2025

It was the most extreme expression of a wound to the body politic that has been allowed to fester.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 14, 2025

But the new strategy has been accompanied by hundreds of store closures, thousands of layoffs and the sale of a 60% stake in its China business, and labour tensions have continued to fester.

From BBC • Nov. 11, 2025

He felt a deep love for the runaway boy, like a wound, and yet felt at the same time that this wound was not intended to fester in him, but that it should heal.

From "Siddhartha" by Hermann Hesse