corrosion

American  

[kuh-roh-zhuhn] / kəˈroʊ ʒən /

noun

• corrosions
  plural

1. the act or process of corroding; condition of being corroded.

2. a product of corroding, as rust.

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corrosion British  

/ kəˈrəʊʒən /

noun

1. a process in which a solid, esp a metal, is eaten away and changed by a chemical action, as in the oxidation of iron in the presence of water by an electrolytic process

2. slow deterioration by being eaten or worn away

3. the condition produced by or the product of corrosion

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corrosion Scientific  

/ kə-rō′zhən /

1. The breaking down or destruction of a material, especially a metal, through chemical reactions. The most common form of corrosion is rusting, which occurs when iron combines with oxygen and water.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• corrosional
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• corrosions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of corrosion

1350–1400; Middle English (< Middle French ) < Late Latin corrōsiōn- (stem of corrōsiō ) a gnawing away, equivalent to Latin corrōs ( us ), past participle of corrōdere to corrode + -iōn- -ion

Explanation

Corrosion is the process by which something deteriorates because of oxidation, a chemical action that creates oxides that flake away from the base. When you see a rusty, shoddy looking car, corrosion is the culprit. Although the word is most often associated with the physical breakdown of a metal through rusting, the erosion of rock by wind and water is a form of corrosion. The word can also be applied to other situations, like the corrosion of a once-strong friendship. There could be corrosion of relations between two countries. Whenever something's being worn down or eaten away, you can call it corrosion.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

corrosion corrosions

For the rest of us, the corrosion of a 37,000-person-strong crimefighting force tasked with investigating everything from terrorism to corruption is arguably a threat to public safety.

From Slate ● Sep. 30, 2026

As a group, these materials are strong, biocompatible, and resistant to both heat and corrosion.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 30, 2026

Stainless steel has been used for roughly a century and has become one of the most important materials for applications where corrosion is a concern.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026

It does have some more engineering problems than copper, including poorer conductivity, corrosion, and brittleness.

From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026

Over in the production group at ATK, a whole different division, they sometimes had trouble with a machine that inspected the booster rockets’ O-ring grooves to make sure there was no corrosion.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel

Genre-bending authors are often well-suited to making sense of the daily horrors and subtle corrosions.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 13, 2026

Now, for all the corrosions of inflation, food prices and property taxes, money seems a bit looser.

From Time Magazine Archive

All religions have changed and suffered secular corrosions, despite signs of revival in recent years.

From Time Magazine Archive

On the part of the latter, there might be some corrosions of jealousy.

From Dr. Johnson's Works: Life, Poems, and Tales, Volume 1 The Works of Samuel Johnson, Ll.D., in Nine Volumes by Samuel Johnson

Post-Mortem Appearances Common to the Mineral Acids.—Stains and corrosions about the mouth, chin, and fingers, or wherever the acid has come in contact.

From Aids to Forensic Medicine and Toxicology by W. G. Aitchison (William George Aitchison ) Robertson

Related Words

• decay
• decomposition
• deterioration
• erosion
• rust