RUSTING Synonyms: 77 Similar and Opposite Words

rusting

verb

present participle of rust

as in rotting

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

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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 rusting The car had spent years being stored out in the open, rusting away beneath a carport in Miami’s Coconut Grove district. — Howard Walker, Robb Report, 31 Aug. 2026 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, 70 kilometers (45 miles) northwest of the capital of Belgrade. — ABC News, 20 Aug. 2026 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 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 Because sometime soon, Caltrans will replace my aging, slightly rusting fixation with a brand new shiny sign. — Deputy Managing Editor, Los Angeles Times, 6 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for rusting

Verb

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
Those ailing leaves can be a sign of deeper problems such as rotting roots or a bug infestation, though sometimes, a yellowing leaf is just part of a monstera’s natural aging process.

— Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of rotting

Verb

After receiving a complaint, police officers and a state regulator found more than 50 decomposing bodies at South Chicago Chapel in the city’s South Deering neighborhood.

— Armando L. Sanchez, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026
As excavations for the foundation got underway, bones and decomposing bodies were found, releasing a horrid odor and spreading yellow fever across the island.

— Victoria Davies, Rolling Stone, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of decomposing

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 decaying

Verb

At these temperatures, the molten salt remains chemically stable but begin corroding the metal used to build the reactor vessel, posing a major safety risk.

— Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 14 July 2026
The company is accused of knowing that its sprinkler system was corroding and that emergency repairs to some sprinkler heads had been completed just days before the chemical reaction.

— Irene Wright, USA Today, 23 June 2026

Definition of corroding

Browse Nearby Words

rustics

rusting

rustle

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

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Synonyms of rusting

verb

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