corrode
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to eat or wear away gradually as if by gnawing, especially by chemical action.
-
to impair; deteriorate.
Jealousy corroded his character.
verb (used without object)
verb
-
to eat away or be eaten away, esp by chemical action as in the oxidation or rusting of a metal
-
(tr) to destroy gradually; consume
his jealousy corroded his happiness
Other Word Forms
- corrodant noun
- corrodent noun
- corroder noun
- corrodibility noun
- corrodible adjective
- noncorrodible adjective
- noncorroding adjective
- uncorroded adjective
Etymology
Origin of corrode
1350–1400; Middle English (< Middle French ) < Latin corrōdere to gnaw to pieces, equivalent to cor- cor- + rōdere to gnaw; akin to rodent
Explanation
Corrode means to eat away at and cause to deteriorate, like rust slowly taking over an old bike left out in the rain. Stemming from a Latin word that means "to gnaw away," corrode is a verb that usually describes destroying a metal by oxidation or by some other kind of chemical action. Acid is particularly corrosive, or able to corrode things easily. The word corrode can also be used figuratively. Way back when, the grandmas of the world thought rock music would corrode the minds of young people. Thank goodness that didn't really pan out.
Vocabulary lists containing corrode
Red Kayak
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Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"
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"I Stand Here Ironing" by Tillie Olsen
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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.
In such an environment, it is especially reckless to assume that war, no matter how justified, will somehow purify institutions rather than corrode them.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026
They worry the practice could mislead voters and corrode trust in nonpartisan news providers.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 11, 2026
However, he notes that there are still challenges in ensuring that electrolysis systems like this don't corrode too quickly over time.
From BBC • Sep. 4, 2025
I think that from the time he was a boy, and I think that over time, those secrets start to corrode a person.
From Salon • Sep. 22, 2024
Be a lot of work to clean ’em up and rezinc them, too, so they don’t corrode.
From "Red Kayak" by Priscilla Cummings
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.
