noun
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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
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slow deterioration by being eaten or worn away
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the condition produced by or the product of corrosion
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
Vocabulary lists containing corrosion
Song for a Whale
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Unit 3, Academic Vocabulary
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"Modern Automotive Technology," Vocabulary from Section 2
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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:
Its resistance to corrosion decreases when the electrical potential becomes sufficiently high.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 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
Congress established the National Academies in 1863 to advise on science—e.g., fixing the weights and measures of currency and methods for protecting ship hulls from saltwater corrosion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
It does have some more engineering problems than copper, including poorer conductivity, corrosion, and brittleness.
From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026
There were times when her freckles were not sunny but like corrosion or rust.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
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
The corrosions may be small, or may extend over a very large surface.
From Aids to Forensic Medicine and Toxicology by W. G. Aitchison (William George Aitchison ) Robertson
Had he known what influences were at work with cancerlike corrosions upon her loyalty, what food was nourishing her anxiety, he would have stolen the time to go to her.
From The Law of Hemlock Mountain by Hugh Lundsford
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.
