erode
verb
\ i-ˈrōd
\
\
eroded;
eroding
Definition of erode
1
: to diminish or destroy by degrees:
a
: to eat into or away by slow destruction of substance (as by acid, infection, or cancer)
b
: to wear away by the action of water, wind, or glacial ice
flooding eroded the hillside
c
: to cause to deteriorate or disappear as if by eating or wearing away
inflation eroding buying power
2
: to produce or form by eroding
glaciers erode U-shaped valleys
: to undergo erosion
where the land has eroded away
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Other Words from erode
erodibility
\ i-ˌrō-də-ˈbi-lə-tē
\
noun
\
noun
erodible
or less commonly erodable \ i-ˈrō-də-bəl
\
adjective
\
adjective
Synonyms for erode
Synonyms
bite (at), corrode, eat, fret, gnaw, nibble
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Examples of erode in a Sentence
Crashing waves have eroded the cliffs along the beach.
The shoreline has eroded badly.
Recent Examples on the Web
Increasing portions of an already fragile landscape were deforested, eroded, and desiccated by Polynesian Hawaiians over the centuries after their arrival in the islands, roughly 1,000 years ago. — Wade Graham, Smithsonian, "Why Molokai, With All Its Wonders, Is the Least Developed of Hawai’i’s Islands," 31 Aug. 2019 Second, because the confinement of the plasma is not perfect, there can be interactions with the plasma: high-energy neutrons can erode materials, introducing impurities in the plasma that can stop the fusion reaction. — Giulia Pacchioni, Scientific American, "The Road to Fusion," 26 Aug. 2019 After the large sewer line failed, a torrent of sewage eroded the ground around it and caused a section of Quintana Road to cave in. — Josh Baugh, ExpressNews.com, "San Antonio Water System board approves Quintana Road sinkhole settlement; victims set to receive multimillion-dollar payout," 6 Aug. 2019 The salt in your sweat and tears, the calcium of your bones, and the iron in your blood all eroded out of the rocks of Earth’s crust; and the sulphur of the protein molecules in your hair and muscles was spewed out by volcanoes. — Nathaniel Rich, Harper's magazine, "Ruina Mundi," 10 May 2019 During that last century or two of Maya civilization, environmental stresses, like droughts, seem to have eroded the stability of the Maya world, leading to a sharp escalation in conflict between kingdoms. — Kiona N. Smith, Ars Technica, "Warring Maya kingdoms razed enemy cities to the ground," 6 Aug. 2019 Human rights activists said that the moves to change Kashmir’s status were only the first steps in a broader plan to erode Kashmir’s core rights and seed the area with non-Kashmiris, altering the demographics and eventually destroying its character. — New York Times, "India Revokes Kashmir’s Special Status, Raising Fears of Unrest," 5 Aug. 2019 The Party uses China’s economy to silence dissent against its brutal repression and to erode the sovereignty of American allies like Taiwan. — John Fund, National Review, "American Movie Studios Are Wrong to Appease Chinese Censors," 28 July 2019 The statue proved so popular that the surrounding landscape began to erode. — Brigit Katz, Smithsonian, "A Statue in the U.K. Had to Be Moved Because It Was Too Popular," 26 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'erode.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for erode
erode
verb
English Language Learners Definition of erode
: to gradually destroy (something) or to be gradually destroyed by natural forces (such as water, wind, or ice)
See the full definition for erode in the English Language Learners Dictionary
erode
verb
\ i-ˈrōd
\
\
eroded;
eroding
Kids Definition of erode
: to destroy or be destroyed by wearing away
Waves erode the shore.
erode
transitive verb
\ i-ˈrōd
\
\
eroded;
eroding
Medical Definition of erode
1
: to eat into or away by slow destruction of substance (as by acid, infection, or cancer)
acids that erode the teeth bone eroded by cancer
2
: to remove with an abrasive
a dental tool that erodes the decayed area
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