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

Dench was first diagnosed in 2012 with macular degeneration, a retinal disease that erodes one’s central vision and is a leading cause of vision loss and blindness in people over 65. — Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 22 Oct. 2026

Chinese firms have been suffering from declining profit growth amid intense competition that has eroded margins and even invited the government to step in. — Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2026

The city’s effort to replenish the beach has been further stymied by lack of access — because the beach is so eroded, dump trucks can’t go far enough east to drop sand, Leland said. — Fedor Zarkhin, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026

The condition can quietly erode daily function, from reading and driving to focused work on a screen. — Samantha Agate, Sacbee.com, 21 Oct. 2026

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