abrade

[ uh-breyd ]

/ əˈbreɪd /

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See synonyms for: abrade / abrading on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with or without object), a·brad·ed, a·brad·ing.

to wear off or down by scraping or rubbing.

to scrape off.

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Origin of abrade

1670–80; <Latin abrādere, equivalent to ab-ab- + rādere to scrape

OTHER WORDS FROM abrade

a·brad·a·ble, adjectivea·brad·er, nounun·a·brad·ed, adjective

Words nearby abrade

ab ovo, abp., abr., abracadabra, abradant, abrade, Abraham, Abraham and Isaac, Abrahamic, Abraham's bosom, Abram

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use abrade in a sentence

They often abrade off spray paint and incised graffiti with a sandblaster, or they’ll grind it off with a wire brush mounted on a drill, sometimes filling in the leftover marks with pigment that’s been laboratory-matched to the color of the stone.
A Visitor to Big Bend Damaged a 5,000-Year-Old Petroglyph Forever|cobrien|January 12, 2022|Outside Online
I’ve abraded a small patch of this rock to remove the surface layer and get a look underneath.
Perseverance is cutting perfect circles out of Mars to search for signs of life|Margo Milanowski|November 13, 2021|Popular-Science
If your kit is really trashed from a wet ride, that dirt is circulating in the wash cycle, abrading your clothing even more as the wash drum turns.
How to Clean Your Cycling Gear|agintzler|July 17, 2021|Outside Online
Like dirt, those teeth will abrade fabrics during a wash cycle.
How to Clean Your Cycling Gear|agintzler|July 17, 2021|Outside Online

Waves abrade the shore and strew the débris worn from it over the lake bed.
The Elements of Geology|William Harmon Norton
Wherever they find calcareous strata to abrade, the water is almost milklike in hue for miles around.
Wonderland; or Alaska and the Inside Passage|Lieut. Frederick Schwatka
This is specially the case with Chaffinches and Bramblings: Greenfinches abrade later.
Among the Birds in Northern Shires|Charles Dixon
Genuine amber, when rubbed together, emits a very fragrant odour similar to a fresh lemon, and does not abrade the surface.
Notes and Queries, Number 188, June 4, 1853|Various
In all cases, however, a hard file will abrade the surface of the false stone.
The Chemistry, Properties and Tests of Precious Stones|John Mastin

British Dictionary definitions for abrade

abrade

/ (əˈbreɪd) /

verb

(tr) to scrape away or wear down by friction; erode

Derived forms of abrade

abradant, nounabrader, noun

Word Origin for abrade

C17: from Latin abrādere to scrape away, from ab- 1 + rādere to scrape

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

abrade

Origin of abrade

OTHER WORDS FROM abrade

Words nearby abrade

Words related to abrade

How to use abrade in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for abrade

Derived forms of abrade

Word Origin for abrade