decompose
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++LDOCE 5++de·com·pose /ˌdiːkəmˈpəʊz $ -ˈpoʊz/ verb [intransitive, transitive] 1 DECAYto decay or make something decay （使）变坏，（使）腐烂 a partially decomposed body 部分腐烂的尸体2. SEPARATEHC technical to divide into smaller parts, or to make something do this （使）分解 —decomposition /ˌdiːkɒmpəˈzɪʃən $ -kɑːm-/ noun [uncountable]→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
decompose• It would decompose and could cause the pool liner to sag.• Five to ten sub-systems is accepted as the normal range, which can then be decomposed as required to show lower-order activities.• A partly decomposed body was found late Saturday.• I poked at its decomposing body with a long driftwood stick, working to turn it over.• Diapers don't decompose in landfills.• The elderly in Boston and New York were decomposing in their rooms.• As household refuse decomposes, it produces an explosive gas, methane.• As bacteria decomposed it, they released CO2 into the air.• A dead fish in the aquarium will decompose rapidly, fouling the water badly.• In this way, semantic markers decompose the meanings of words into more primitive elements.• Some minerals seem to survive more or less unaltered even after being subject to prolonged weathering, whereas others decompose very rapidly.• If turned, two or three times, the heap will decompose without getting too hot or becoming mildewed.de·com·pose verbChineseSyllable
make something decay Corpus to decay or
decompose
de‧com‧pose /ˌdiːkəmˈpəʊz $ -ˈpoʊz/
verb [intransitive and transitive]
1. to decay or make something decay:
a partially decomposed body
2. technical to divide into smaller parts, or to make something do this
—decomposition /ˌdiːkɒmpəˈzɪʃən $ -kɑːm-/ noun [uncountable]
▪ decay to be slowly destroyed by a natural chemical process – use this especially about natural things such as wood or plants, or about teeth: The leaves decay and enrich the soil. | He had bad breath and decaying teeth. | The fabric slowly began to decay.
▪rot to decay. Rot is less formal than decay and is more common in everyday English: The fruit was left to rot on the ground. | rotting teeth | Most of the wood under the paint had rotted. | the smell of rotting vegetation (=decaying leaves and plants)
▪go off British English if food goes off, it starts to smell bad and is no longer be safe to eat: I think the milk’s gone off. | The meat smells as if it's gone off.
▪spoil if food spoils, it starts to decay, so that it is no longer safe to eat. Spoil is more formal and is less common in everyday British English than go off: Food left in the sun will quickly start to spoil.
▪go mouldy British English, moldy American English to begin to have a soft green or black substance growing on the surface of the food, so that it is not good to eat any more: Ugh, the cheese has gone mouldy!
▪decompose formal to decay – use this especially about dead plants or flesh: leaves decomposing on the forest floor
▪putrefy formal to decay and have a very bad smell – use this especially about flesh or plants: After two days, the body was already beginning to putrefy. | putrefying meat
▪biodegrade to decay naturally into substances that do not harm the environment – use this especially about man-made materials and chemicals: Unlike many other materials, plastic does not biodegrade.
de‧com‧pose /ˌdiːkəmˈpəʊz $ -ˈpoʊz/
verb [intransitive and transitive]1. to decay or make something decay:
2. technical to divide into smaller parts, or to make something do this
—decomposition /ˌdiːkɒmpəˈzɪʃən $ -kɑːm-/ noun [uncountable]
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