corrode
Americanverb (used with object)
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corrodes,
present (3rd person singular)
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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:
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
Starring a stacked Guatemalan cast, including actor Tony Revolori, the project underlined the encroaching impacts of climate change that corrode once treasured memories, including those of Moreno, who grew up visiting the vacation destination.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 27, 2026
However, he notes that there are still challenges in ensuring that electrolysis systems like this don't corrode too quickly over time.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2025
His golden skin began to corrode, breaking into chunks.
From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan
Digital technology isn’t merely accelerating some inevitable tide but is a force unto itself—one that makes solitary leisure more appealing, corrodes the incentives for sociality and, as a downstream consequence, reduces marriage and fertility.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 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
"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 same salt that pollutes estuaries for wildlife also corrodes pipes for drinking water in Flint, Michigan, he points out.
From Salon ● Nov. 1, 2023
The salt in seawater also corrodes metal and destroys electrical connectors.
From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland
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 network had been shuttered since 2015, when a corroded pipe burst and caused one of the state’s worst oil spills.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 16, 2026
However, the researchers did not look into what happened when the glass was deliberately smashed -- or corroded by chemicals.
From Barron's ● Feb. 18, 2026
Inside the tower was a corroded iron spiral staircase.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
"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
Mr. McDougall notes that Mary Shelley “had seen it all coming” decades before Dostoyevsky and Nietzsche warned that Europe was corroding itself from within.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 13, 2026
It has been corroding not just in the US but across the western world for decades now.
From BBC ● Jan. 24, 2026
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
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.
