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# rotting

verb, -ing form of rot (rot, rots, rotted, rotting); adjective (rotting)

«rotting» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. Rotting means going bad and breaking down, as dead plants, animals or food slowly decay. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rotting/#m1)
2. Rotting wood or teeth are being slowly damaged and becoming soft or weak. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rotting/#m2)
3. (figurative) Rotting can describe something getting worse slowly from neglect, like «left rotting in a shed». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rotting/#m3)

### In the lessons

In science lessons, rotting is decomposition: bacteria, fungi and worms break down dead things and return nutrients to the soil, as in a compost heap. In everyday life rotting food smells bad and must not be eaten. Sugar can cause rotting teeth. Phrases: rotting food, rotting wood, rotting teeth, left to rot.

### Examples

- The apples were rotting on the ground. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rotting/#x1)
- A rotting log is home to many insects. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rotting/#x2)
- The bin smelled of rotting food. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rotting/#x3)
- Worms help rotting leaves turn into soil. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rotting/#x4)
- Too many sweets can lead to rotting teeth. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rotting/#x5)
- The old boat was left rotting on the beach. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rotting/#x6)
- Rotting food should be thrown away, not eaten. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rotting/#x7)

### Note

From «rot»: double the t (rotted, rotting). The adjective is «rotten». Rotting is a natural, useful process in nature, but rotting food can make you sick. Myth: «food rots only when it smells» — mould can be hidden, so check dates and look carefully.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «rotting» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rotting/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«rotting» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/rotting.html) on Mova free.