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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

Psychiatric researchers are referring to the confluence of these three characteristics—sycophancy, linguistic alignment and hyperpersonalization—as the “amplification spiral,” suggesting it’s the mechanism by which delusional thinking can fester.

From The Wall Street Journal Jun. 27, 2026

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

From Salon Jun. 22, 2026

In the San Fernando Valley case, Internal Affairs investigators reported turning up an “overwhelming pattern of intentional policy violations” by the officers involved, and said poor management allowed a “rampant culture of misconduct” to fester.

From Los Angeles Times Jun. 4, 2026

It's fascinating to see the incident morph and fester.

From "How It Went Down" by Kekla Magoon

Farmers and herders clash over land in the centre of the country while a simmering separatist movement festers in the southeast.

From Barron's Aug. 26, 2026

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

From MarketWatch Mar. 26, 2026

They allow listeners to call or text questions on WhatsApp, a social media platform especially popular with immigrant communities but where much of the misinformation they see festers.

From Seattle Times Apr. 7, 2024

Given the heavy rainfall and nonporous soil, the waste festers, exposing residents to health risks.

From New York Times May 5, 2023

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

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

Resentment festered in the meantime, as Bush and his peers questioned why the school hadn’t fought harder to defend him.

From Los Angeles Times Sep. 30, 2024

Wilson’s lead is a working-class Black man, a former Negro league superstar whose dreams festered when baseball’s color barrier prevented him from rising into the big leagues.

From Salon Sep. 12, 2024

These two groups were obliged to work side by side in the war plants, and their animosities festered and opened like boils on the face of the city.

From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou

One had a festering cut on his shin that he said he got from a fall on the rocks near the beach.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 19, 2026

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

From MarketWatch Jul. 15, 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

Ray’s mysterious and fraught history as a member of the British military during the Troubles is a festering boil this film will eventually lance.

From Los Angeles Times Oct. 3, 2025

With every squeal and shout and gasp and “Go, Courtney, go!” that comes out of her mouth, I sink a little further into my festering pit of mingled despair and desperation.

From "Odd One Out" by Nic Stone




Vocabulary lists containing fester


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