erode
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
verb
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to grind or wear down or away or become ground or worn down or away
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to deteriorate or cause to deteriorate
jealousy eroded the relationship
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(tr; usually passive) pathol to remove (tissue) by ulceration
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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erodabilitynoun
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erodibilitynoun
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erodableadjective
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erodentadjective
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erodibleadjective
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erosibleadjective
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nonerodedadjective
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nonerodingadjective
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unerodableadjective
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unerodedadjective
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unerodibleadjective
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unerodingadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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erodesimple
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erodessimple
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have erodedperfect
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has erodedperfect
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are erodingprogressive
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am erodingprogressive
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is erodingprogressive
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have been erodingperfect progressive
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has been erodingperfect progressive
Past
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erodedsimple
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had erodedperfect
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was erodingprogressive
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were erodingprogressive
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had been erodingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of erode
First recorded in 1605–15; from French ė́roder or directly from Latin ērōdere, equivalent to ē- “out of, from” + rōdere “to gnaw”; see e- 1
Explanation
When soil or land erodes, it wears away or is removed. Many beaches seem to get smaller and smaller, as the endless wash of the waves begins to erode the fine sand. While erode is most commonly used when describing land loss, you can also use it in less literal ways. Numerous hospital bills can cause your savings to erode. Each time you catch your friend in a lie, your trust in her erodes a little more. Consumer confidence is eroding away as the media reports more and more bad economic news. What’s key here is both the sense of loss, as well as the idea that it is a gradual process.
Vocabulary lists containing erode
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "E"
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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.
Appeared in the October 3, 2025, print edition as 'War, Sanctions Erode Russia’s Oil Output'.
From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 28, 2025
In the state's Erode district, Jayaraj S captured a photo of his mother Pazhaniammal at work as a brick maker.
From BBC • Mar. 14, 2025
“Can you imagine that I spent all this money? I sold everything that I had,” Jean Erode Louis-Saint, 25, whose flight was scheduled for mid-afternoon Monday but never received a boarding pass.
From Seattle Times • Oct. 30, 2023
A version of this article appeared November 12, 2012, on page A1 in the U.S. edition of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: Afghan Women Fear Rights Will Erode as U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 13, 2012
When Erode saw this, he said: "I think it is hard to tug at a rope with a strong man."
From The Danish History, Books I-IX by Saxo, Grammaticus
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
