corrode
Americanverb (used with object)
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to eat or wear away gradually as if by gnawing, especially by chemical action.
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to impair; deteriorate.
Jealousy corroded his character.
verb (used without object)
verb
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to eat away or be eaten away, esp by chemical action as in the oxidation or rusting of a metal
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(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
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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:
The EU executive, however, has repeatedly insisted the new rules would not corrode national labour and tax laws.
From Barron's ● Jul. 6, 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
Be a lot of work to clean ’em up and rezinc them, too, so they don’t corrode.
From "Red Kayak" by Priscilla Cummings
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
“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
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
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
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
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
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.
