Definition of "decompose" [de•com•pose]

• To separate into components or basic elements. (verb-transitive)
• To cause to rot. (verb-transitive)
• To become broken down into components; disintegrate. (verb-intransitive)
• To decay; putrefy. See Synonyms at decay. (verb-intransitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Surely the reason that corpses take longer to decompose is simply that mortuaries are now air conditioned as a matter of course."
• "But he did decompress, as opposed to decompose, which is how Jerry described George's summer plans."
• "In response, our human nature looks to break down or "decompose" the mega-Internet back down to human scale and in this sense the "mega-Internet" is indeed over."