Decay
/dɪˈkeɪ/
Last Updated: January 2, 2026 at 12:30 PM
Scrabble:11 ptsWWF:11 pts5 letters
Definition of Decay
noun
verb
- To deteriorate, to get worse, to lose strength or health, to decline in quality.
"The pair loved to take pictures in the decaying hospital on forty-third street."
- (of organic material) To rot, to go bad.
"The cat's body decayed rapidly."
- (of an unstable atom) To change by undergoing fission, by emitting radiation, or by capturing or losing one or more electrons.
- (of a quantum system) To undergo optical decay, that is, to relax to a less excited state, usually by emitting a photon or phonon.
- Loss of airspeed due to drag.