erode

[ ih-rohd ]

/ ɪˈroʊd /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR erode ON THESAURUS.COM

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

to eat into or away; destroy by slow consumption or disintegration: Battery acid had eroded the engine. Inflation erodes the value of our money.

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

verb (used without object), e·rod·ed, e·rod·ing.

to become eroded.

Nearby words

ernest, ernestine, ernie, ernst, ero, erode, erodent, erogenous, erogenous zone, eroica symphony, eros

Origin of erode

1605–15; < Latin ērōdere, equivalent to ē- e-¹ + rōdere to gnaw

Related forms

e·rod·i·ble, e·rod·a·ble, e·ro·si·ble

[ih-roh-zuh-buh l, -suh-] /ɪˈroʊ zə bəl, -sə-/, adjectivee·rod·i·bil·i·ty, e·rod·a·bil·i·ty, nounnon·e·rod·ed, adjectivenon·e·rod·ing, adjective

un·e·rod·a·ble, adjectiveun·e·rod·ed, adjectiveun·e·rod·i·ble, adjectiveun·e·rod·ing, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for erode

That started to erode after the two officers were assaulted last week.
De Blasio and the New York City Protesters Have No Blood on Their Hands|Jacob Siegel|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It serves as a potent reminder that the cost in lives of one war can erode the will of a people to fight another.
Blood and War: The Hard Truth About ‘Boots on the Ground’|Clive Irving|September 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Failure to secure their quick release can erode voter confidence and advertise the impotence of government.
Al Qaeda Growing Rich Off Ransom Payments|Jamie Dettmer|December 22, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Admittedly, a lot of undeserved cultural authority will have to erode before this idealization can materialize.
5 Ways to Fix Book Publishing|Anis Shivani|July 12, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Alternatively, passing up a shot could allow an enemy to escape, kill U.S. citizens, and erode U.S. power.
The Essential Spy Guide|Henry A. Crumpton|May 2, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Even in the zone of solution water may under certain circumstances deposit as well as erode.
The Elements of Geology|William Harmon Norton
It has been, and is being, created by sediments from the many torrents that erode the interior mountains.
Area Handbook for Albania|Eugene K. Keefe
The ages that it had taken this stream to erode such a bed for itself was beyond imagination.
Two Boys in Wyoming|Edward S. Ellis
As a result, there is a substantial defense imbalance that will erode fighting power.
Shock and Awe|Harlan K. Ullman
It would take a lot of time to erode away that much massive stone.
The Egyptian Cat Mystery|Harold Leland Goodwin

British Dictionary definitions for erode

erode

/ (ɪˈrəʊd) /

verb

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

to deteriorate or cause to deterioratejealousy eroded the relationship

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

Derived Forms

erodent, adjective, nounerodible, adjective

Word Origin for erode

C17: from Latin ērōdere, from ex- 1 + rōdere to gnaw

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

Medicine definitions for erode

erode

[ ĭ-rōd′ ]

v.

To wear away by or as if by abrasion.

To eat into; ulcerate.