corrode

[ kuh-rohd ]

/ kəˈroʊd /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR corrode ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), cor·rod·ed, cor·rod·ing.

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), cor·rod·ed, cor·rod·ing.

to become corroded.

Nearby words

corrival, corroborant, corroborate, corroboration, corroboree, corrode, corrody, corrosion, corrosive, corrosive sublimate, corrugate

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

Related forms

cor·rod·ent, nouncor·rod·er, nouncor·rod·i·ble, adjectivecor·rod·i·bil·i·ty, noun

non·cor·rod·i·ble, adjectivenon·cor·rod·ing, adjective, nounun·cor·rod·ed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for corrode

It would be tempting, at this point, to say that the Internet will corrode religious authority and usher in the Great Secular Age.
God vs. the Internet. And the Winner is…|Michael Schulson|November 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They can corrode through whatever human tissue they contact if swallowed or stuck into an orifice, sometimes in a matter of hours.
Kids Eat the Darndest Things: Laundry Pods, Teething Necklaces, and More Of The Weirdest Stuff Sending Kids to the E.R.|Russell Saunders|November 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Throwing hot fat into your trash can will melt the bag, and pouring it down the sink will corrode the pipes.
America's Bacon Addiction|Sarah Whitman-Salkin|June 30, 2009|DAILY BEAST
This neutralized flux will not corrode metal as will the ordinary acid.
Oxy-Acetylene Welding and Cutting|Harold P. Manly

She bound her sorrow tight up in her breast, to corrode and fester there.
Harper's New Monthly Magazine, Vol. 2, No. 8, January, 1851|Various
The acid is not allowed to corrode the tooth, and the diminution of the length may possibly in some degree benefit the animal.
The Horse's Mouth|Edward Mayhew
That is the story of the most terrible vices, I think; they corrode the body while gilding the brain.
The Imitator|Percival Pollard
One of the greatest advantages of aluminum is that it will not rust or corrode under ordinary conditions.
Oxy-Acetylene Welding and Cutting|Harold P. Manly

British Dictionary definitions for corrode

corrode

/ (kəˈrəʊd) /

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; consumehis jealousy corroded his happiness

Derived Forms

corrodant or corrodent, nouncorroder, nouncorrodible, adjectivecorrodibility, noun

Word Origin for corrode

C14: from Latin corrōdere to gnaw to pieces, from rōdere to gnaw; see rodent, rat

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