How to Use decompose in a Sentence

decompose

verb
  • The compound will decompose in the presence of light.
  • Bacteria and fungi help decompose organic matter.
  • Leave the roots in the soil to decompose or take them out and compost them along with the leaves.
    — Nan Sterman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Mar. 2021
  • If the body is decomposed, gases may cause the lungs to float.
    — Duaa Eldeib, ProPublica, 28 Nov. 2023
  • They each had been shot in the head, and the bodies were badly decomposed.
    — Aaron Nelsen, San Antonio Express-News, 19 Jan. 2018
  • Acting as prisms do, the droplets decompose the rays of the sun into the colors of the, well, rainbow.
    — Washington Post, 10 Jan. 2022
  • Once her designs are worn out, the garments are meant to be buried in the ground to decompose.
    — Rosemary Feitelberg | Wwd, latimes.com, 29 May 2018
  • His rivals in the East grew strong, fell, and decomposed.
    — Rob Mahoney, SI.com, 28 May 2018
  • In Central Texas the leaves decompose in three or four weeks.
    — Calvin Finch, San Antonio Express-News, 9 Mar. 2018
  • The rat didn’t have any side effects and the device decomposed on it own.
    — Angela Chen, The Verge, 25 May 2018
  • The ice preserved the man so well that his body, clothes and tools never decomposed.
    — Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 12 Apr. 2023
  • Crews then bury it in sand and allow the decomposing sea grass to feed the sea oats and build up sand dunes.
    — Dennis Pillion | [email protected], al, 17 Mar. 2023
  • The 30-foot decomposing gray whale was likely washed ashore by the storms.
    — Laylan Connelly, Orange County Register, 8 Feb. 2024
  • The cardboard will decompose into the soil and keep your path weed-free.
    — Halee Miller, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Mar. 2024
  • His body, five days decomposed, had been stabbed 27 times, with an ear-to-ear slash across his throat and a bullet to the head.
    — Rose Minutaglio, Good Housekeeping, 12 Jan. 2018
  • The body was at the bottom of a power pole and badly decomposed, Wade said.
    — Carol Robinson | [email protected], al.com, 21 June 2019
  • Corpses began to pile up and decompose in the warmer weather.
    — Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 9 Aug. 2024
  • Ron’s body had begun to decompose on their bed — a sight that still haunts Lisa.
    — Kimberly C. Moore, The Ledger, Lakeland, Anchorage Daily News, 27 Aug. 2021
  • In Moab’s arid climate, trash takes decades to decompose—so pack it out.
    — Kelly Bastone, Outside Online, 25 Oct. 2022
  • Wrapped in black plastic, clad in jeans and a T-shirt, the corpse was decomposed, and the police were trying to make an ID.
    — Seyward Darby, Longreads, 24 Jan. 2024
  • Not even fruit cores or peels, which can attract wildlife and take years to decompose.
    — Alisha McDarris, Popular Science, 12 Oct. 2020
  • One study found that the leaves decompose 25 percent slower if the tree was attacked by the bugs.
    — Ula Chrobak, Popular Science, 9 Mar. 2020
  • And if a body has started to decompose, gases from that process can cause the lungs to float in water.
    — Duaa Eldeib, ProPublica, 7 Oct. 2023
  • Her body, while no longer warm, hasn’t even decomposed.
    — Stephen Rodrick, Variety, 21 Nov. 2023
  • And some of the buildings have the smell of decomposing bodies coming from them.
    — Zoe Magee, ABC News, 8 Nov. 2023
  • Toni’s body was decomposed, and his hands had been bound behind his back.
    — Carol Robinson | [email protected], al, 14 Sep. 2023
  • Usually, this takes the form of a bigger bin or heap in the ground where your refuse can decompose.
    — Jakob Schiller, Outside Online, 1 Mar. 2020
  • Because of this small amount of plastic, the cup can take up to 20 years to fully decompose.
    — Spoon U, Teen Vogue, 20 July 2018
  • Inside the home, authorities found the 70-year-old’s body dismembered and decomposing in 14 plastic bags, police said.
    — Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 18 Apr. 2025
  • His body was badly decomposed when it was discovered, but the city medical examiner determined he had been strangled.
    — Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 24 Apr. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'decompose.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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