erode

verb

i-ˈrōd 

eroded; eroding

transitive verb

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

The 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

intransitive verb

: to undergo erosion

where the land has eroded away

erodibility

i-ˌrō-də-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

erodible adjective

or less commonly erodable

i-ˈrō-də-bəl 

Synonyms of erode

• eat
• destroy
• corrode

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

On the other hand, while some buyers in the Sun Belt may be lured back into the market by more opportunities and cheaper deals, homeowners in the same region waiting to sell their current properties before buying a new one might not be happy seeing their equity quickly eroding. —Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Dec. 2025

Many of the leaders who should be sounding alarms are eroding democracy in their own countries — from term-limit changes in Togo and Côte d’Ivoire, to brutal suppression of dissent in Tanzania and Kenya. —Tomi Oladipo, semafor.com, 1 Dec. 2025

Although Black Friday still reigns supreme as a magnet for in-store shopping, the ease of browsing and buying gifts online has eroded the event’s singular significance. —Anne D'innocenzio, Fortune, 29 Nov. 2025

But every order carried out under that logic erodes the institution that gives it — and the soul of the person who obeys it. —Jon Duffy, Mercury News, 29 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin erodere to eat away, from e- + rodere to gnaw — more at rodent

First Known Use

1612, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for erode

• abode
• anode
• barcode
• bestowed
• boatload
• borrowed
• carload
• caseload
• cathode
• commode
• corrode
• crossroad

Kids Definition

erode

verb

i-ˈrōd 

eroded; eroding

1

a

: to destroy gradually by chemical means : corrode

b

: to wear away by or as if by the action of water, wind, or glacial ice

2

: to undergo erosion

Etymology

from Latin erodere "to eat away," from e- "away" and rodere "to gnaw" — related to rodent

Medical Definition

erode

transitive verb

i-ˈrōd 

eroded; eroding

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