RUST Synonyms: 76 Similar and Opposite Words

rust

verb

Definition of rust

as in to rot

to form rust The old car was left to rust in the yard of the abandoned house.

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of rust Contractors will complicate Route 9 traffic for two and a half years to save a rusting swing bridge that’s used solely by freight trains — and only about twice a week, critics said. — Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 7 Aug. 2026 The dramatic reappearance of the rusting wrecks has become one of the most striking visual reminders of both Europe’s wartime history and the severe drought currently gripping much of the continent. — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 4 Aug. 2026 Today, the city’s Ferris wheel and bumper cars sit rusting untouched, the surrounding apartment blocks standing hollowed out by looters and the natural decay of time passed while trees push through the pavement where playgrounds once stood. — Kieron Marchese, Architectural Digest, 27 July 2026 Dax Poprawski, whose relatives work in the business, was sorry to see that the track had been reduced to a skeleton of itself, with rusting, exposed steel beams and weeds growing around it. — Robert McCoppin, Chicago Tribune, 25 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for rust

Recent Examples of Synonyms for rust

Verb

This panic is also nothing new; television was supposed to rot our brains, and radio before that, and somehow the republic survived.

— Mckenna Friedland, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Aug. 2026
Its paint was peeling, clapboards were rotting, and a tarp covered a leaking roof, according to the Times.

— Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of rot

Verb

Call to action In September 2025, NASA put out a call to action to save Swift, whose orbit was decaying quickly due to high solar activity.

— Leonard David, Space.com, 27 Aug. 2026
The $30-million mission aimed to raise Swift from a rapidly decaying orbit worsened by intense solar activity, preserving a telescope that spent two decades tracking cosmic explosions.

— Marcia Dunn, Los Angeles Times, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of decay

Verb

Van der Heijden’s team reported that the fastest decomposing underwear was buried in residential gardens.

— Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 26 Aug. 2026
Determining the causes of death was complicated by how decomposed the bodies were, the medical examiner’s office said.

— Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of decompose

Verb

After 3,000 drops, roughly equivalent to an afternoon of moderate rain, the copper plate beneath all four surfaces had corroded, despite its Teflon coating.

— Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 31 Aug. 2026
Yet as norepinephrine levels exceed this threshold, those cognitive strengths begin to corrode.

— Julian Hayes II, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of corrode

Browse Nearby Words

rushing

rust

rusted

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“Rust.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rust. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of rust

verb

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