as in to rot
to go through decomposition
a week after the battle the corpses of the fallen were still festering in the fields
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Recent Examples of fester
E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 17 Dec. 2025
However, underlying fears about the shape of market continue to fester.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 4 Dec. 2025
This arrangement would prove short-lived as well, as tensions festered between Burhan and Dagalo, who accused the military chief of consolidating undue power and promoting allied factions, including Islamist forces.
—Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Nov. 2025
Discord allows users to hide evidence of foul play on their system, and that attracts these types of organizations to just fester and grow.
—Mike Levine, ABC News, 18 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fester
Verb
Whatever, exactly, is festering between Cannon, her mom, and Gung Gung goes largely unsaid.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for fester
Verb
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Rourke alleged that the floors were rotted, there was no running water in a couple of places there should have been and the place was infested with rodents.—
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Their roots need air, and soil can be too dense and lead to rotting roots.—
Noun
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The thick, cushioned sole keeps my feet cozy and blister-free, while the breathable fabric wicks moisture to prevent overheating on sunny hikes.—
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Most patients have mild symptoms for seven to 10 days, which can include fever, sore throat, painful mouth sores that blister and a rash on the hands and feet, the CDC said.—
Verb
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Investigators later searched the Ephrata home and storage unit of Jonathan Christ Gerlach, 34, and reported finding more than 100 human skulls, long bones, mummified hands and feet, two decomposing torsos and other skeletal items.—
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For nearly two weeks before embarking on the cross-country road trip, the teenager lived with his parents’ decomposing bodies.—
Noun
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The jambalaya butter sauce is such a great combo with the shrimp boil—honestly, the butter alone is incredible—and the whole dish is much easier to execute in the oven without having to create a big boil pot.—
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Community officials have issued a precautionary boil water notice after a water main break led to a loss of pressure, posing a risk of contamination to the public water supply.—
Verb
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By removing microscopic defects and smoothing the surface, this coating ensures efficient energy flow while preventing the cell from disintegrating under intense heat.—
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The very flying machine that now seemed destined to disintegrate in midair with us and the little girl.—
Noun
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Spoiler alert: The monster is definitely real, a lion-bear hybrid covered in disgusting bloody pustules.—
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In fact, one of the most common triggers of rosacea, which is characterized by flushing, swelling, spider veins, papules, and pustules, is exposure to sunlight.—
Verb
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The decaying Avenger is one of a dozen wrecks in three very different underwater environments — the western Pacific Ocean off Saipan, Lake Huron, shared by Michigan and Ontario, and the Italian Mediterranean — investigated as part of the ambitious pilot project involving eDNA.—
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The place is decaying and strict, but Luna refuses to give in to its rules.—
Noun
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In 2013, my husband Dave and I hauled a beat-up, fire-engine-red suitcase overflowing with sheet masks, toners, snail creams, and pimple patches to the Hester Street Fair, a weekend market in the Lower East Side.—
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The Mighty Patch works to absorb the gunk from pimples and help speed up the healing process.—
Cite this Entry
“Fester.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fester. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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