n. 25B6; verb
the corpses had decayed : DECOMPOSE, rot, putrefy, go bad, go off, spoil, fester, perish, deteriorate; degrade, break down, moulder, mortify, shrivel, wither.
the cities continue to decay : DETERIORATE, degenerate, decline, go downhill, slump, slide, go to rack and ruin, go to seed; disintegrate, fall to pieces, fall into disrepair; fail, collapse; informal go to pot, go to the dogs, go down the toilet; Austral./NZ informal go to the pack.
25B6; noun
signs of decay : DECOMPOSITION, putrefaction, festering; rot, mould, mildew, fungus.
tooth decay : ROT, corrosion, decomposition; caries, cavities, holes.
the decay of American values : DETERIORATION, degeneration, debasement, degradation, decline, weakening, atrophy; crumbling, disintegration, collapse.