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)
-
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:
This passive layer helps prevent the underlying metal from continuing to corrode.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026
Gold is prized in electronic circuits because it conducts electricity well and does not corrode.
From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026
Higher ethanol blends can also corrode gasoline pumps, storage tanks and other infrastructure unless retailers and distributors make upgrades.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 10, 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
And he bemoaned a rise in public anger "that distorts and corrodes our public discourse".
From Barron's ● Oct. 25, 2026
It must become a philosophy that corrodes collective faith, collective beliefs, and becomes excessively individualistic.
From Slate ● May 16, 2026
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
I learned that leaving the knife wet corrodes it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 23, 2025
The salt in seawater also corrodes metal and destroys electrical connectors.
From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland
Investigations into absolutely everything that has been corroded and broken in the courts and the Justice Department will be of paramount importance.
From Slate ● Nov. 5, 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
The fountain “contains deteriorated concrete, corroded structural steel and hazardous materials and its mechanical and electrical systems are beyond repair,” Goodwin said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 7, 2026
His corroded teeth protruded from under his top lip.
From "Between Shades of Gray" by Ruta Sepetys
"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
It has been corroding not just in the US but across the western world for decades now.
From BBC ● Jan. 24, 2026
“I believe they have been corroding our civil discourse, they’ve been ‘attention fracking’ our children and treating our youth like products, not people.”
From Salon ● Dec. 5, 2025
Much of the corroding metal throughout the structure needs to be replaced, but “the masonry’s in good condition,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 26, 2025
Something of vengeance I had tasted for the first time; as aromatic wine it seemed, on swallowing, warm and racy: its after-flavour, metallic and corroding, gave me a sensation as if I had been poisoned.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
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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.
