How to Use decay in a Sentence

decay

1 of 2 verb
  • She believes that the moral fiber of our society is decaying.
  • The city's neighborhoods are decaying.
  • These will decay this winter and your bushes will be all set.
    — Jeff Lowenfels, Anchorage Daily News, 30 Sep. 2021
  • Inspect the area around your home and yard for decaying wood.
    — Nafeesah Allen, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 May 2026
  • His body has barely decayed, and his hair and teeth are still intact.
    — Raquel Reichard, Refinery29, 24 Sep. 2025
  • The battery packs last about a decade and decay much faster if the car spends a lot of time parked.
    — Brendan McAleer, Car and Driver, 8 Oct. 2022
  • Keep your ferns tidy by cutting back old, decaying growth.
    — Sj McShane, Martha Stewart, 22 June 2026
  • And what with all the love and pain, something in me softened—or maybe decayed.
    — Eva Wiseman, Vogue, 7 May 2026
  • Species evolve, planets decay, and the ways of the past fall as the future evolves.
    — Eric Fuller, Forbes, 28 Dec. 2021
  • That decaying wood can enrich the soil of a brand-new flower bed.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 31 Jan. 2026
  • The process starts when a male and female cockroach find a piece of decaying wood.
    — Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 13 Apr. 2026
  • Pumpkins decay quickly if the stems are broken off rather then cut.
    — Jim Gilbert, Star Tribune, 22 Oct. 2020
  • By that time, some of the nutrients and taste will most likely have decayed.
    — Kenneth Chang, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2020
  • And the norms of anonymity and freedom were decaying a bit.
    — Ben Smith, semafor.com, 16 Jan. 2026
  • And, as in the other study, the protein took longer to decay in human cells.
    — John Timmer, Ars Technica, 19 Sep. 2020
  • The decaying matter causes a stench that lingers for days.
    — Joan Murray, CBS News, 10 June 2026
  • The resulting wood chips and soil are either piled in place to rot and decay or hauled offsite.
    — Daniel Scott, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Mar. 2026
  • Do not wash potatoes before storing since the moisture can lead to decay.
    — Lauren David, Southern Living, 15 Feb. 2026
  • All the goodies in the above-ground parts of plants should be allowed to fall to the ground and decay over the winter.
    — Jeff Lowenfels, Anchorage Daily News, 16 Sep. 2021
  • Levine doesn’t hide aging and decay, yet her work is a vision of perfection.
    — Washington Post, 11 June 2021
  • Slugs do have a valuable role in cleaning up decaying plant matter.
    — Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 28 Aug. 2025
  • Three dead mice, two of them decaying, were also found in the basement, the report said.
    — Jennifer Rodriguez, Kansas City Star, 22 Sep. 2025
  • Don’t let branches decay near the base of the tree, either, because that could lead to a diseased tree.
    — Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 5 Mar. 2026
  • But, weirdly, legacy is tricky, and learning the bad doesn’t always decay the good.
    — USA Today, 21 Jan. 2021
  • These gorgeous gourds can stay out all season long without decaying.
    — Mariana Best, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Sep. 2025
  • Normally nutrients taken up by plants from the soil are put back when the plants dies and decay.
    — Jeff Lowenfels, Anchorage Daily News, 18 Aug. 2022
  • However, the severe topping of the tree has led to decay through the heartwood of the trunk.
    — Neil Sperry, San Antonio Express-News, 2 Apr. 2021
  • Of empires passed away; / The blood has turned their stones to rust, / Their glory to decay.
    — cleveland, 4 July 2022
  • Most fly species lay their eggs on dead or decaying organic matter, which the larvae then eat.
    — Dave Wessner, Forbes.com, 26 Aug. 2025
  • In cold water, bodies are slow to decay and may sink, especially in deep lakes.
    — Rachael Lallensack, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Oct. 2021

decay

2 of 2 noun
  • She writes about the moral decay of our society.
  • The city's neighborhoods are in slow decay.
  • The rise and decay of the voltage are fast.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 19 Oct. 2025
  • Rust is inevitable, but there is a way to keep the decay at bay.
    — Tony Carrick, Popular Mechanics, 23 Mar. 2023
  • Leaving food in your mouth overnight is (a) gross and (b) a recipe for tooth decay.
    — Drew Schwartz, SELF, 10 Feb. 2023
  • For me, the larger concern is the decay of my healthy habits.
    — Jonathan Wolfe, New York Times, 23 Nov. 2022
  • While the decay was years in the making, the end came quickly.
    — Marion Halftermeyer, Fortune, 19 Mar. 2023
  • Wear and tear is inevitable, and decay is part of being alive.
    — Raven Smith, Vogue, 22 Mar. 2023
  • Tooth decay can begin very early in a child’s life.
    — Erika Edwards, NBC news, 19 Mar. 2026
  • If a single atom of that sample decays, the vial breaks, and the cat dies.
    — Camila Domonoske, NPR, 27 Mar. 2026
  • But in certain decays, the electron doesn’t have enough zip.
    — Quanta Magazine, 8 Apr. 2026
  • It was abandoned and in active decay.
    — Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 31 Dec. 2025
  • The time was this week, with doubt piling up like fall leaves, giving off a sign of death and decay.
    — Nate Atkins, The Indianapolis Star, 14 Nov. 2022
  • This process of decay has not been linear or uniform across the island.
    — IEEE Spectrum, 27 Jan. 2023
  • Radioactive decay can be quite slow, though.
    — Kelling Donald, The Conversation, 13 Oct. 2025
  • When fields are often littered with the decay of city life, this field is pristine.
    — Joe Dwinell, Boston Herald, 5 Apr. 2026
  • Plus, it's made of cypress, a type of wood that resists decay and insects.
    — Jamie Weissman, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Apr. 2023
  • The deeper the decay goes, the bigger the problem.
    — The New York Times News Service Syndicate, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 May 2026
  • Previously, people had thought a berry that was dark was a sign of its decay.
    — Devorah Lev-Tov, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Nov. 2023
  • That impulse has primed him perfectly for an era of denial and decay.
    — Vulture, 2 Aug. 2023
  • Exposure to warm, humid air and bugs in the outdoors will speed up the decay even more.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 7 Sep. 2025
  • Due to the decay, the face could not be recognized, nor could age be determined.
    — David Reamer | Alaska History, Anchorage Daily News, 17 Sep. 2023
  • Think about the scavenger bird and images of disease and decay soon follow.
    — Gertrude Kitongo, CNN, 22 Feb. 2024
  • The surroundings are matched by the decay of their owners, who have no idea how to run a business.
    — William Earl, Variety, 9 June 2023
  • What are some ways to prevent tooth decay or other dental issues?
    — Mark Gurarie, Health, 24 Aug. 2025
  • The best way to shorten that decay time is to fill the room with as much soft, porous mass as possible.
    — Parker Hall, WIRED, 30 Jan. 2025
  • During testing, things were very fresh and didn’t show signs of staleness or rapid decay.
    — Kathleen Felton, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 Aug. 2023
  • There’s beauty in that decay, some of which comes from an unexpected source.
    — Michael Nordine, Variety, 27 Sep. 2023
  • In one, there’s a body lying on the ground, with a patina of mint-green paint over the surface—a sign of decay.
    — Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2026
  • Sharp pruners and saws will make clean cuts that are less likely to admit disease or decay and will seal up more quickly.
    — Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune, 22 Jan. 2023

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'decay.' 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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