decompose
verbUK /ˌdiː.kəmˈpəʊz/
US /ˌdiː.kəmˈpoʊz/
To break down into smaller pieces.
Leaves decompose slowly on the forest floor.
RELATED WORDS
OTHER MEANINGS
2. To separate something into its basic parts.
Scientists decompose water into hydrogen and oxygen.
3. To break a problem or idea into smaller parts to understand it.
She decomposed the math problem into simple steps.
4. To become chemically broken down by heat or other processes.
Some plastics do not decompose easily.