1. Fall into decay or ruin
   "The unoccupied house started to decay";
   - crumble, dilapidate
    
2. Undergo decay or decomposition
   "The body started to decay and needed to be cremated"
    
3. (physics) lose a stored charge, magnetic flux, or current
   "the particles decayed during the nuclear fission process";
   - disintegrate, decompose

1. The process of gradually becoming inferior
   "The decay of the old building was evident in its crumbling walls"
    
2. The organic phenomenon of rotting
   "The decay of fallen leaves enriches the soil";
   - decomposition
    
3. An inferior state resulting from the process of decaying
   "the corpse was in an advanced state of decay"; "the house had fallen into a serious state of decay and disrepair"
    
4. A gradual decrease
   "The decay of the battery's charge over time reduced its effectiveness";
   - decline
    
5. The spontaneous disintegration of a radioactive substance along with the emission of ionizing radiation
   "The half-life of an element is determined by its rate of radioactive decay";
   - radioactive decay, disintegration

Derived forms: decays, decayed, decaying

Type of: action, activity, change, change integrity, decrease, decrement, natural action, natural process, nuclear reaction, organic phenomenon, unsoundness

Encyclopedia: Decay, radioactive