erode

[ ih-rohd ]

verb (used with object)

, e·rod·ed, e·rod·ing.

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.

verb (used without object)

, e·rod·ed, e·rod·ing.

1. to become eroded.

erode

/ 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

Derived Forms

• eˈrodent, adjectivenoun
• eˈrodible, adjective

Other Words From

• e·rodi·ble e·roda·ble e·ro·si·ble [ih-, roh, -z, uh, -b, uh, l, -s, uh, -], adjective
• e·rodi·bili·ty e·roda·bili·ty noun
• none·roded adjective
• none·roding adjective
• une·roda·ble adjective
• une·roded adjective
• une·rodi·ble adjective
• une·roding adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of erode¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of erode¹

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

Example Sentences

The final results could reveal that vaccines may not block transmission as much as hoped, so if they’re overhyped, trust in public health officials could erode and lead to more vaccine hesitancy.

From Vox

Now a new study shows just how much this enterprise has eroded our privacy.

From MIT Technology Review

Eisen argues that the emphasis on moon shots erodes the foundation that makes those advances possible, which is long-term stable support of pure research.

From Time

Trust in public health officials has been dangerously eroded.

From Vox

Yet for many, it seemed a step too far in government intrusions after a year and counting of a dignity-eroding pandemic.

From Washington Post

That started to erode after the two officers were assaulted last week.

From The Daily Beast

Otherwise, we morally erode the environment to be the type that makes interaction with others so difficult in the first place.

From The 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.

From The Daily Beast

Failure to secure their quick release can erode voter confidence and advertise the impotence of government.

From The Daily Beast

A failure to act “would erode, perhaps obliterate” the taboo against such weapons.

From The Daily Beast

The ages that it had taken this stream to erode such a bed for itself was beyond imagination.

From Project Gutenberg

There has not been time to erode them away since the Pleistocene glaciation.

From Project Gutenberg

The area up-stream from the culvert will not erode below the level of the top of the box at the inlet end.

From Project Gutenberg

It would take a lot of time to erode away that much massive stone.

From Project Gutenberg

As a result, there is a substantial defense imbalance that will erode fighting power.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• corrode
• destroy