- 1the process or result of being destroyed by natural causes or by not being cared for (= of decaying) tooth decay The landlord had let the building fall into decay. The smell of death and decay hung over the town. The decay of the wood will spread if it is not removed.
- 2the gradual destruction of a society, an institution, a system, etc. economic/moral/urban decay the decay of the steel industry
Check pronunciation: decay