putrefy

By the Reagan era, the stasis was obvious; in the first two decades of the 21st century, it began to putrefy.

From Salon ● Apr. 19, 2026

A: Obviously, meat will putrefy and smell awful.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 28, 2023

They attract rats, flies and other pests and tend to putrefy rather than break down, causing nasty smells, according to the Riverside County guide.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 12, 2020

So anytime you encounter the term "putrefy" in a description of the digestive process, file it away under "scare tactic" rather than "scientific fact."

From US News ● May 12, 2015

After several weeks, their skin began to putrefy and flake off.

From "Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West" by Blaine Harden

Aristotle described them as “exceedingly fond of putrefied flesh.”

From National Geographic ● Feb. 8, 2024

Other off-the-shelf fixes discourage pests by creating a “nasal irritation” or have an offensive taste with ingredients such as putrefied egg solids, garlic oil and hot pepper.

From Seattle Times ● May 20, 2023

The fog rolls into the town of Antonio Bay, on little cat feet, along with a seafaring crew of putrefied zombie ghosts.

From New York Times ● Oct. 24, 2018

You may feel a rush of pity for Moore, whose stylized luminosity has been far better served in other ’50s settings, and especially for Damon, whose handsome features seem almost putrefied with self-loathing.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 25, 2017

The bad coffee was dumped on Ball’s Wharf, where it putrefied in the sun and sent out a powerful odor that could be smelled over a quarter mile away.

From "An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793" by Jim Murphy

One of his earliest patients was a man already in the black “sphacelus” stage, the limb putrefying while still attached.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 6, 2026

Masks fall, the Chekhovian guns go off, and the scent of rot clinging to the story becomes a full, putrefying splendor.

From The New Yorker ● May 21, 2019

The author unashamedly falls in love with Patience Darton, a tall, beautiful, brave and rebellious English nurse who managed every day to find beauty amid putrefying wounds and floors sticky with blood.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 5, 2015

Widowed young, she joins the would-be exodus to Europe from a seaside town of crumbling mansions that smells of putrefying fish.

From The Guardian ● Jul. 6, 2012

My first impulse is to cover my nose to block out the stench of soiled linen, putrefying flesh, and vomit, all ripening in the heat of the warehouse.

From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins