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 The rusting hull — once a famed vessel known as the Slovenian — surfaced earlier this month from the Sava River near the Serbian town of Sremska Mitrovica, 45 miles northwest of the capital of Belgrade. — CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026 Videos and photos circulating on social media show piles of rocks, chunks of concrete and rusted metal rods after waves removed layers of sand along the shoreline. — Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2026 And, rather than let HALO rust in a warehouse, Northrop is doubling down on its commitment to the cause. — Josh Dinner, Space.com, 13 Aug. 2026 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 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

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rust

rusted

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“Rust.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rust. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of rust

verb

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