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Definitions

fester

[fes-ter] / ˈfɛs tər /


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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Given your reaction, I don’t believe it’s a good idea to let this fester.

From MarketWatch Jul. 1, 2026

But it doesn’t get better if we just leave the bubble to fester.

From Salon Jun. 22, 2026

She says she does her best to tell him that the system is cruel and wrong, but she doesn’t want the anger to fester.

From Los Angeles Times Jun. 14, 2026

And over six seasons, the series examined the under-explored territory that lay between two world wars—a kind of historical trench in which all manner of skullduggery could fester and bloom.

From The Wall Street Journal Mar. 19, 2026

As Cicero explains showily, he himself hesitates to directly order the banishment—because then, he says, not only would he appear cruel and tyrannical but Catiline’s coconspirators would still fester in the heart of the city.

From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith

By your early 70s, the anxiety festers and grows.

From MarketWatch Mar. 26, 2026

Journalists who joined the patrol also witnessed what life has been like for the Philippine Coast Guard as the South China Sea dispute festers.

From BBC Apr. 28, 2023

The trial will revisit one of the most searing manifestations of how hatred and intolerance that festers online can spread onto the streets.

From New York Times Nov. 2, 2021

“This is part of our ongoing work to confront the ways in which hate activity festers online,” Clarke said Monday.

From Seattle Times Jun. 22, 2020

Below us Toronto festers in the evening heat, the trees spreading like worn moss, the lake zinc in the distance.

From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood

But an uneasy tension festered behind the fanfare.

From The Wall Street Journal Apr. 30, 2026

No amount of martyrdom can save his legacy from succumbing to the rot he festered.

From Salon Sep. 21, 2025

McCartney said confusion over the break-up had festered because the band's new manager Allen Klein - with whom he refused to align - said he had needed time to tie up some financial loose ends.

From BBC Dec. 2, 2024

“We’ve been grinding hard, but it’s just a disappointing factor that others waited too long to do something about it, you know? That’s why it’s festered into this,” Hernandez said.

From Los Angeles Times Oct. 19, 2024

I hoped it would blow over, but Dad was so hurt that I hadn’t mentioned homeschooling in my interviews that this new wound festered.

From "Educated" by Tara Westover

As earnings season gets under way, festering worries about artificial-intelligence stocks could be put to bed.

From MarketWatch Jul. 15, 2026

This lends an intriguing additional layer to Iago’s festering, consuming hatred: Even his own wife is a potential rival, in addition to, he believes, having slept with Othello.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 9, 2026

But with little progress on the issues festering and so much riding on their relationship, any reprieve could be temporary—and the space for surprises large.

From Barron's May 12, 2026

This has been a festering issue not only for the industry but also for consumers.

From Los Angeles Times Mar. 6, 2026

Stale and wilted flowers, rejected downtown, blazed feverishly on a cart, like glamorous rags festering beneath a futile spray from a punctured fruit juice can.

From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison




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