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rot

[rot] / rɒt /




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.

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“Hope must be in the strategic leader’s DNA—without it, the whole enterprise would rot from the top down.”

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 18, 2026

The word "rot" is clearly an exaggeration, but new research suggests that heavy television viewing may still have meaningful consequences for brain health.

From Science Daily Jul. 21, 2026

The number of social-media groups and threads predicated on the opinion that Bowlero/Lucky Strike absolutely sucks testifies to the number of both serious bowlers and casual enthusiasts who see the corporation as an invasive rot.

From Salon Jul. 3, 2026

"Any transport delay can risk ruining the batch. If it takes longer than 24 hours, the internal sugars begin to rot and ferment unpredictably, destroying the delicate flavour profile needed for premium spirits," says Dhariwal.

From BBC Jun. 11, 2026

It would hurl down cashews and mangoes from the trees and they would start to rot in the humid earth, giving out that sweet-and-sour scent.

From "Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

The analysts at SentimenTrader call it a “Weekend at Bernie’s” rally, “propped up almost entirely by flows into a handful of mega-cap tech and semiconductor leaders, while the broader market rots beneath the surface.”

From Barron's Jun. 3, 2026

Yet while soft tissue usually rots away, the lack of oxygen caused by the manner of the shark's death and more mud landing on top preserved the fish.

From BBC Dec. 27, 2025

The saying goes that the fish rots from the head.

From Los Angeles Times Dec. 27, 2025

And just as tobacco riddles the lungs, Amazon, one could argue in their preachiest moment, rots the soul.

From Salon Mar. 29, 2025

Some fruit rots while still containing perfectly good seeds, and gets thrown out uneaten into the garbage.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

"It's unripe, but it's already rotted before we've even started," he explains.

From BBC Aug. 25, 2026

Parts were found to have rotted away from damp and the sheets were placed between sheets of glass in a bid to preserve them.

From BBC Jul. 23, 2026

He alleged that the floors were rotted, there was no running water in a couple of places there should have been and the place was infested with rodents.

From Los Angeles Times Jan. 8, 2026

Her contorted expression is rotted by anguish, as though life’s unbearable burdens have laid waste to their latest victim.

From Salon Dec. 27, 2025

Clare climbed the creaking stairs, treading carefully to avoid the places where the wood had rotted through.

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman

India’s dysfunctional urbanization provides an endless stream of videos: mounds of rotting garbage, trains overflowing with commuters, half-drowned school buses on flooded roads.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 26, 2026

Many trees have produced no fruit at all, and others have dropped their fruit early, rotting before they ripened.

From BBC Aug. 25, 2026

The fire was declared knocked down on June 24, but 88 million pounds of rotting food remained inside.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 20, 2026

Some customers have outright walked away because they can’t stand the stench of the rotting food that remains.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 14, 2026

With the weather turning colder we can’t keep sleeping in our rotting tents.

From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone




Vocabulary lists containing rot


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