decay

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noun

ADJECTIVE

▪ rapid

▪ slow

▪ dental (esp. BrE), tooth

▪ industrial (esp. BrE), urban

▪ moral, physical, social

VERB + DECAY

▪ cause

▪

Bacteria stick to food debris in the teeth, causing decay.

▪ stop

▪

Without a lot of money, the mayor won't be able to stop urban decay.

▪ reverse

▪

This government promises to reverse industrial decay.

▪ prevent

▪

The wood is treated with preservative to prevent decay.

▪ fall into

▪

old buildings that had fallen into decay

PREPOSITION

▪ in decay

▪

The derelict buildings are the signs of a town in decay.

▪ decay in

▪

Smoking accelerates decay in the heart and arteries.

▪ decay of

▪

the slow decay of the castle and the surrounding buildings

PHRASES

▪ the process of decay

▪ signs of decay

▪

My dentist could not find any signs of decay.

▪ an odour/odor of decay, a smell of decay, a stench of decay

▪

A smell of decay pervaded the air.

▪ a state of decay

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verb

Decay is used with these nouns as the subject: ↑rubbish, ↑timber