putrefy
verb
pu·tre·fy
ˈpyü-trə-ˌfī 
putrefied; putrefying
: to make putrid
: to undergo putrefaction
Synonyms
Examples of putrefy in a Sentence
we traced the bad smell to a dead skunk putrefying under the house
Recent Examples on the Web
Mules killed in the assault putrefied and attracted swarms of maggots.
—
Trip Gabriel, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2024
Just as fruit and meats left untouched began to rot and putrefy, dregs and undigested material inside the body turned poisonous if not expelled.
—Meg Leja, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Nov. 2023
Just as fruit and meats left untouched began to rot and putrefy, so did dregs and undigested material inside the body turn poisonous if not expelled.
—Discover Magazine, 7 Nov. 2023
Many recipes that survive from antiquity call for allowing fish to putrefy in open vats under the Mediterranean sun for up to three months.
—Taras Grescoe, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Oct. 2021
But some of the ailments Romans suffered boggle the mind—vicious fevers, wasting diseases and worms living in putrefying wounds that refused to heal.
—Edward Watts, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Apr. 2020
But this, Marcus stresses, only causes our emotions to putrefy and fester.
—Barrett Swanson, Harper's magazine, 28 Oct. 2019
The paintings of putrefying corpses and splayed-open cadavers made by Hyman Bloom between 1943 and 1954 constitute one of the most extraordinary and disturbingly beautiful bodies of work in American art.
—Sebastian Smee, Washington Post, 31 July 2019
The injunction contends that long-distance travel does not broaden the mind, as commonly supposed, but putrefies the character by exposing it to impurity.
—Alex Perry, Outside Online, 24 July 2019
Trip Gabriel, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2024
Just as fruit and meats left untouched began to rot and putrefy, dregs and undigested material inside the body turned poisonous if not expelled.
—Meg Leja, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Nov. 2023
Just as fruit and meats left untouched began to rot and putrefy, so did dregs and undigested material inside the body turn poisonous if not expelled.
—Discover Magazine, 7 Nov. 2023
Many recipes that survive from antiquity call for allowing fish to putrefy in open vats under the Mediterranean sun for up to three months.
—Taras Grescoe, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Oct. 2021
But some of the ailments Romans suffered boggle the mind—vicious fevers, wasting diseases and worms living in putrefying wounds that refused to heal.
—Edward Watts, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Apr. 2020
But this, Marcus stresses, only causes our emotions to putrefy and fester.
—Barrett Swanson, Harper's magazine, 28 Oct. 2019
The paintings of putrefying corpses and splayed-open cadavers made by Hyman Bloom between 1943 and 1954 constitute one of the most extraordinary and disturbingly beautiful bodies of work in American art.
—Sebastian Smee, Washington Post, 31 July 2019
The injunction contends that long-distance travel does not broaden the mind, as commonly supposed, but putrefies the character by exposing it to impurity.
—Alex Perry, Outside Online, 24 July 2019
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'putrefy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near putrefy
Cite this Entry
“Putrefy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/putrefy. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
putrefy
verb
pu·tre·fy
ˈpyü-trə-ˌfī
putrefied; putrefying
: to make or become putrid : rot sense 1a
Medical Definition
putrefy
verb
pu·tre·fy
ˈpyü-trə-ˌfī
putrefied; putrefying
: to make putrid
: to undergo putrefaction
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