1
as in to erode
to damage or diminish by continued friction
ropes abraded by the rocks were a huge danger to the climbers
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
3
as in to scrape
to damage by rubbing against a sharp or rough surface
the yacht's once-flawless wooden hull had been badly abraded by years of rough dockings
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of abrade
Robotic hands: Mounted on the rover’s robotic arm are tools for blowing dust aside and abrading rock surfaces.
—
Ari Koeppel, The Conversation, 17 Sep. 2025
My shoes abrade my feet and my shirt is stuck to my back.
—Ariel Saramandi, The Dial, 29 July 2025
Compared to its predecessors, Perseverance uses an advanced abrading bit and gaseous Dust Removal Tool, or gDRT, which applies five puffs of nitrogen to clear samples in a way that poses less risk of contamination.
—Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, 30 June 2025
For example, the prior version’s straps abraded the skin around his knee, but redistributing the weight through abdominal and thigh straps fixed the problem.
—Eliza Strickland, IEEE Spectrum, 15 July 2015
See All Example Sentences for abrade
Ari Koeppel, The Conversation, 17 Sep. 2025
My shoes abrade my feet and my shirt is stuck to my back.
—Ariel Saramandi, The Dial, 29 July 2025
Compared to its predecessors, Perseverance uses an advanced abrading bit and gaseous Dust Removal Tool, or gDRT, which applies five puffs of nitrogen to clear samples in a way that poses less risk of contamination.
—Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, 30 June 2025
For example, the prior version’s straps abraded the skin around his knee, but redistributing the weight through abdominal and thigh straps fixed the problem.
—Eliza Strickland, IEEE Spectrum, 15 July 2015
See All Example Sentences for abrade
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abrade
Verb
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That vision of worldwide economic and cultural interdependence that enabled the proliferation of biennials in the ’90s has been steadily eroding amid the recent rise in nativism and far-right movements in the United States and Europe.—
Smooth Nzewi,
Artforum,
2 Apr. 2026
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Over time, this can concentrate gains and strain the labor tax base, eroding the revenue streams that underpin the broader economy—funding health care, retirement benefits and basic economic security.—
Ravi Kumar S,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Even minimal exposure to artificial lights irritated his burns, and recovery took months.—
Natalie Krebs,
Outdoor Life,
26 Mar. 2026
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Many people have come out of the woodwork and jumped on the bandwagon, which irritated me.—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In another part of the factory, a worker used a wooden stick, like a tongue compressor at a doctor’s office, to scrape excess bits of explosive out of the grooves inside each shell, ensuring that the base would screw on smoothly.—
Simon Shuster,
The Atlantic,
27 Mar. 2026
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There are 617 McDonald's restaurants in Ohio, according to the web scraping tool ScrapeHero.—
Mike Snider,
USA TODAY,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Cops are searching for multiple suspects wearing ski masks last seen fleeing the scene on foot.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
31 Mar. 2026
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He was last seen wearing a denim shirt and jeans.—
Jeff Nguyen,
CBS News,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The day started with bad vibes when two-time Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom was scratched from his start with a neck injury.—
Jim Barnes,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 Mar. 2026
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Rookie Owen Caissie, a late addition to the starting lineup after original first baseman Christopher Morel was scratched with a left oblique strain, then drove in Edwards with a double to left-center.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But sports ties between North and South Korea have suffered as political relations frayed.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
1 Apr. 2026
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Additionally, the individual bristles may split and fray.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Abrade.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abrade. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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