Dictionary

decompose en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /ˌdikəmˈpoʊz/ (Canada, General-American)
• (Southern-England) audio
• dē"kəm-pōzʹ
• /ˌdiːkəmˈpəʉz/ (Australia)
• /ˌdiːkəmˈpɐʉz/ (New-Zealand)
• [ˌdiːkəmˈpɐʉz] (Australia) some speakers
• /ˌdiːkəmˈpəʊz/ (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French décomposer. Equivalent to de- + compose.

Meanings

1. (transitive) To separate or break down (something) into its components.
   • Various fungi can decompose wood.
   • Our team decomposed this task into several subtasks that could be successfully distributed.
2. (intransitive) To rot, decay or putrefy.
   • Nor had the post mortem on Newson's body revealed any illness or other physical condition that might have prevented him from applying the brake, although after four days in the oven-like heat of the wreckage, the body was so badly decomposed as to make any reliable post mortem results unlikely. 2025 February 19, Mike Lewis, “Tragedy at Moorgate”, in RAIL, number 1029, page 59, about the Moorgate tube crash:
   • Plastics can take centuries to decompose.

Forms

Antonyms

assemble · recompose · compose

Coordinates

disassemble

Deriveds

decomposability · eigendecompose · decomposer · photodecompose · undecomposed · nondecomposed · decomposition · semidecomposed · decomposable

Synonyms

disintegrate · fragment · break down

Translations (77)

tr sasımak (to decay) · ru разобра́ть (to separate) · tl maagnas (to decay) · ca descompondre (to separate) · it decomporre (to separate) · nl verrotten (to decay) · de sich zersetzen (to decay) · es descomponerse (to decay) · ro descompune (to separate) · fi mädäntyä (to decay) · fi lahota (to decay) · et lagundama (to separate) · fr décomposer (to separate) · cmn 分解 (to separate) · pl rozkładać się (to decay) · ja ばらす (to separate) · de desintegrieren (to separate) · ja 分解する (to decay) · ru разбира́ть (to separate) · hi अपघटन (to decay) · pl rozkładać (to separate) · de verfallen (to decay) · cmn 腐爛 /腐烂 (to decay) · ro descompune (to decay) · ja 腐る (to decay) · el σαπίζω (to decay) · gl descompor (to separate) · cs rozložit (to separate) · de dekomponieren (to separate) · uk розбирати (to separate) · uk розібрати (to separate) · ru разложи́ться (to decay) · hi विघटन (to separate) · uk розкла́сти (to separate) · haw hoʻohāpopopo (to decay) · de zerteilen (to separate) · pt decompor (to separate) · pt decompor (to decay) · pl rozłożyć się (to decay) · uk розложитися (to decay) · it decomporsi (to decay) · uk розлагатися (to decay) · el λιώνω (to decay) · pl rozłożyć (to separate) · ar تَحَلَّلَ (to decay) · uk розпастися (to decay) · pt descompor (to separate) · ru разложи́ть (to separate) · bg разлагам се (to decay) · nl vergaan (to decay) · fr se décomposer (to decay) · ru разлага́ться (to decay) · de zerlegen (to separate) · es descomponer (to separate) · fi maatua (to decay) · nl ontbinden (to decay) · fi hajottaa (to separate) · el αποσυντίθεμαι (to decay) · et kõdunema (to decay) · de teilen (to separate) · mi whakapirau (to separate) · bg разглобявам (to separate) · uk розкла́стися (to decay) · uk розпадатися (to decay) · uk розклада́ти (to separate) · ca descompondre (to decay) · mk распадне (to decay) · uk розклада́тися (to decay) · ja 分解する (to separate) · de zerfallen (to decay) · nl ontbinden (to separate) · fi mädätä (to decay) · ru разлага́ть (to separate) · hu lebomlik (to decay) · pl rozpadać się (to decay) · de verfaulen (to decay) · de verrotten (to decay)