erosion

American  

[ih-roh-zhuhn] / ɪˈroʊ ʒən /

noun

• erosions
  plural

1. the act or state of eroding; state of being eroded.

2. the process by which the surface of the earth is worn away by the action of water, glaciers, winds, waves, etc.

3. the gradual decline or disintegration of something.

   Each candidate is blaming the other’s party for the erosion of international trade.

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erosion British  

/ ɪˈrəʊʒən /

noun

1. the wearing away of rocks and other deposits on the earth's surface by the action of water, ice, wind, etc

2. the act or process of eroding or the state of being eroded

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erosion Scientific  

/ ĭ-rō′zhən /

1. The gradual wearing away of land surface materials, especially rocks, sediments, and soils, by the action of water, wind, or a glacier. Usually erosion also involves the transport of eroded material from one place to another, as from the top of a mountain to an adjacent valley, or from the upstream portion of a river to the downstream portion.

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erosion Cultural  

1. A type of weathering in which surface soil and rock are worn away through the action of glaciers, water, and wind.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• antierosion
  adjective
• erosional
  adjective
• erosive
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• erosions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of erosion

First recorded in 1535–45; from Latin ērōsiōn- (stem of ērōsiō ), derivative of ērōdere “to gnaw, eat away”; see origin at erode, -ion

Explanation

The Grand Canyon is a monumental example of erosion—the entire canyon was carved by the flow of the Colorado River, which slowly dug the canyon out of stone over the course of eons. Erosion is the wearing away of sand, soil, or rock by water or wind. But it also has a metaphorical sense. The erosion of standards for behavior in society means that our grandparents would be shocked by what passes for good manners today.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

erosion erosions

Over tens of millions of years, the giant cliff system would have gradually migrated inland as erosion wore it down.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 21, 2026

The case has been widely criticised for exemplifying the erosion of freedom of expression in the city.

From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026

On a recent Friday, scientists cultivated living tissue, engineers tested new flavors for an 80-gram protein bar for the U.S. military and interns modeled coastal erosion on Maui.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026

“We’re aware of the sand erosion and the different relics getting exposed down there,” said Newport Beach Lifeguard Battalion Chief Adam Yacenda.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

It had worked as I hoped, the only erosion just a few BB-size pits right past the throat.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam

Twenty-three years later, those first impressions have long since been replaced by lasting erosions.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 31, 2026

The ongoing Ebola crisis is escalating quickly, already ranked the third largest outbreak in history — and experts say erosions of U.S. health policy have fueled the crisis.

From Salon ● May 30, 2026

In these nations, the patterns were similar – erosions in freedom of speech, open elections, the rule of law, judicial independence, civil society and academic freedom.

From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2025

Gradual erosions of privacy have wiped out quaint old notions about “private lives.”

From Washington Post ● Apr. 9, 2020

They were as old as erosions in a fishless desert.

From "The Old Man and The Sea" by Ernest Hemingway

Related Words

• corrosion
• decrease
• destruction
• disintegration