erode

American  

[ih-rohd] / ɪˈroʊd /

verb (used with object)

eroded, eroding

1. to eat into or away; destroy by slow consumption or disintegration.

   Battery acid had eroded the engine. Inflation erodes the value of our money.

   Synonyms:

   spoil, ravage, waste, corrode

   Antonyms:

   reinforce, strengthen

2. to form (a gully, butte, or the like) by erosion.

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verb (used without object)

eroded, eroding

1. to become eroded.

erode British  

/ ɪˈrəʊd /

verb

1. to grind or wear down or away or become ground or worn down or away

2. to deteriorate or cause to deteriorate

   jealousy eroded the relationship

3. (tr; usually passive) pathol to remove (tissue) by ulceration

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Other Word Forms

• erodability noun
• erodable adjective
• erodent adjective
• erodibility noun
• erodible adjective
• erosible adjective
• noneroded adjective
• noneroding adjective
• unerodable adjective
• uneroded adjective
• unerodible adjective
• uneroding adjective

Etymology

Origin of erode

First recorded in 1605–15; from French ė́roder or directly from Latin ērōdere, equivalent to ē- “out of, from” + rōdere “to gnaw”; e- ¹

Example Sentences

"Legal safeguards protecting them seem to be eroding," she says.

From BBC

Several officials have warned that easing prematurely could revive price pressures or erode public confidence in the Fed’s resolve.

From Barron's

"If pupils feel that you are now police and security, you're eroding any kind of trust that they would have in you."

From BBC

It was the first time in nearly four centuries that a senior British royal was placed under arrest, and it underscored how deference to the monarchy has eroded in recent years.

From Los Angeles Times

But when accommodation expands without clear boundaries or meaningful verification, its credibility erodes and skepticism grows about even well-founded uses.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• corrode
• destroy