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Synonyms

erosion

American  
[ih-roh-zhuhn] / ɪˈroʊ ʒən /

noun

  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.
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

"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
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.

erosion Cultural  

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

Other Word Forms

  • antierosion adjective
  • erosional adjective
  • erosive adjective

Etymology

Origin of erosion

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

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.

In the Southland, strong El Niños increase the likelihood of wet winters that replenish water supplies and decrease wildfire frequency but can also lead to flooding, debris flows and coastal erosion.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026

For example, maintaining green spaces as wildlife habitat can buffer infrastructure from severe weather, erosion or flooding.

From Salon • Apr. 7, 2026

Noelia Castillo Ramos’s death wasn’t an exercise of freedom but a desperate response to its erosion.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026

They create habitat for hundreds of plant and animal species and help protect coastlines from erosion.

From Science Daily • Apr. 6, 2026

With the tree and grass cover removed, erosion proceeded and valleys silted up, while irrigation agriculture in the low-rainfall environment led to salt accumulation.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

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.