corrode
Americanverb (used with object)
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corrodes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
corroded,
past participle, past
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corroding
present participle
-
to eat or wear away gradually as if by gnawing, especially by chemical action.
-
to impair; deteriorate.
Jealousy corroded his character.
verb (used without object)
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corrodes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
corroded,
past participle, past
-
corroding
present participle
verb
-
to eat away or be eaten away, esp by chemical action as in the oxidation or rusting of a metal
-
(tr) to destroy gradually; consume
his jealousy corroded his happiness
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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corrodantnoun
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corrodentnoun
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corrodernoun
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corrodibilitynoun
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corrodibleadjective
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noncorrodibleadjective
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noncorrodingadjective
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uncorrodedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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corrodesimple
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corrodessimple
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have corrodedperfect
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has corrodedperfect
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am corrodingprogressive
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are corrodingprogressive
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is corrodingprogressive
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have been corrodingperfect progressive
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has been corrodingperfect progressive
Past
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corrodedsimple
-
had corrodedperfect
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was corrodingprogressive
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were corrodingprogressive
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had been corrodingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of corrode
1350–1400; Middle English (< Middle French ) < Latin corrōdere to gnaw to pieces, equivalent to cor- cor- + rōdere to gnaw; akin to rodent
Explanation
Corrode means to eat away at and cause to deteriorate, like rust slowly taking over an old bike left out in the rain. Stemming from a Latin word that means "to gnaw away," corrode is a verb that usually describes destroying a metal by oxidation or by some other kind of chemical action. Acid is particularly corrosive, or able to corrode things easily. The word corrode can also be used figuratively. Way back when, the grandmas of the world thought rock music would corrode the minds of young people. Thank goodness that didn't really pan out.
Vocabulary lists containing corrode
Red Kayak
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Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"
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"I Stand Here Ironing" by Tillie Olsen
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Research by the Rutgers team and other scientists has since demonstrated that these tools can damage and corrode titanium surfaces, potentially releasing additional particles and accelerating the disease.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 23, 2026
Gold is prized in electronic circuits because it conducts electricity well and does not corrode.
From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026
In such an environment, it is especially reckless to assume that war, no matter how justified, will somehow purify institutions rather than corrode them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 5, 2026
They worry the practice could mislead voters and corrode trust in nonpartisan news providers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 11, 2026
Fortunately, as Marilyn Frye has noted, every birdcage has a door, and every birdcage can be broken and can corrode.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
The criticism forced Attorney General Eric Holder to apologize and led to new Justice Department policies sharply limiting investigations of journalists, recognizing that targeting reporters to identify sources corrodes the First Amendment itself.
From Salon ● Jan. 17, 2026
“When an officer turns routine traffic stops into opportunities for theft, for their own benefit, it corrodes public trust and endangers the integrity of our justice system.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 25, 2025
Like addiction or phobia, it narrows lives and corrodes resilience.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2025
"Everyone must lie", she says, because "to be honest is dangerous"; and yet "lying corrodes the team", which is much-needed to complete tasks.
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2025
The salt in seawater also corrodes metal and destroys electrical connectors.
From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland
The hope and the change, the transcendent conviction that the systemic levers of government are not corroded beyond repair, the optimist I used to be—it all came rushing back.
From Slate ● Oct. 15, 2026
CSB reports cited a range of avoidable failures, from corroded pipes to the lack of safety equipment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
SNP strategists believe the controversy corroded trust in the party and cost them a significant amount of support.
From BBC ● May 25, 2026
He is right that forward guidance has corroded the central bank’s discipline rather than sharpened it.
From MarketWatch ● May 8, 2026
It didn’t seem to have been damaged by the fire or corroded by the bone-tar.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
"I cannot describe it. I mean, it looks ugly, really ugly," the 69-year-old said, peering through its corroding gates.
From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026
Filming in a constricting boxy aspect ratio, the Ukrainian director takes us inside a corroding prison filled with men unjustly incarcerated as enemies of the state.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 26, 2026
In columns and on TV, he warns that Hegseth’s cavalier attitude toward the rule of law and civilian protections is corroding military professionalism.
From Salon ● Mar. 11, 2026
It has been corroding not just in the US but across the western world for decades now.
From BBC ● Jan. 24, 2026
The main obstacle for the diffusion process being developed by Urey was its reliance on uranium hexafluoride gas, the detestable “hex,” which lived up to its nickname by severely corroding every permeable barrier Urey tried.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
