erode

• POS: Verb (usu participle), Verb (transitive)
• HYPHEN: e=rode

CIDE DICTIONARY

erode, v. t. [L. erodere, erosum; e out + rodere to gnaw. See Rodent.].

•  To eat into or away; to corrode; as, canker erodes the flesh.  Wiseman.  [1913 Webster]

  "The smaller charge is more apt to . . . erode the gun."  [1913 Webster]
•  To wear away; as, streams and glaciers erode the land.  [Webster 1913 Suppl.]
•  to reduce or lessen as if by eroding; as, a politician's base of support is eroded by evidence of corruption; the buying power of the dollar is eroded by inflation.  [PJC]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

erode, v.
1 tr. & intr. wear away, destroy or be destroyed gradually.
2 tr. Med. (of ulcers etc.) destroy (tissue) little by little.

Derivative

erodible adj.

Etymology

F {eacute}roder or L erodere eros- (as E-, rodere ros- gnaw)

THESAURUS

erode

abate, ablate, abrade, abrase, absorb, abstract, assimilate, atomize, bark, bate, be consumed, be eaten away, be gone, bite, bleed white, break up, burn up, canker, cease, cease to be, cease to exist, chafe, come apart, consume, consume away, corrode, crack up, crumble, crumble into dust, curtail, decay, decline, decompose, decrease, deduct, deliquesce, dematerialize, depart, deplete, depreciate, derogate, destroy, deteriorate, detract, die, die away, die out, digest, diminish, disappear, disintegrate, disjoin, disorganize, disparage, dispel, disperse, dissipate, dissolve, dive, do a fade-out, drain, drain of resources, dribble away, drop, drop off, dwindle, eat, eat away, eat into, eat up, ebb, erase, evanesce, evaporate, exhaust, exit, expend, extract, fade, fade away, fade out, fall, fall away, fall off, fall to pieces, file, file away, finish, finish off, fission, flee, fly, fray, frazzle, fret, gall, gnaw, gnaw away, go, go away, gobble, gobble up, grate, graze, grind, grind down, hide, impair, impoverish, ingest, languish, leach, leave no trace, leave the scene, lessen, let up, melt, melt away, molder, nibble away, oxidize, pass, pass away, pass out, perish, plummet, plunge, purify, rasp, raze, reduce, refine, remove, retire from sight, retrench, rub, rub away, rub off, rub out, ruffle, run low, rust, sag, scour, scrape, scrub, scuff, shorten, shrink, sink, sink away, skin, spend, split, squander, subduct, subside, subtract, suck dry, suffer an eclipse, swallow, swallow up, tail off, take away, take from, tatter, thin, thin out, use up, vanish, vanish from sight, wane, waste, waste away, wear, wear away, wear down, wear off, wear out, wear ragged, weather, weed, withdraw

ROGET THESAURUS

erode

Deterioration

VB be worse, be deteriorated, become worse, become deteriorated Adj, have seen better days, deteriorate, degenerate, fall off, wane, ebb, retrograde, decline, droop, go down, go downhill, go from bad to worse, go farther and fare worse, jump out of the frying pan into the fire, run to seed, go to seed, run to waste swale, sweal, lapse, be the worse for, sphacelate: break, break down, spring a leak, crack, start, shrivel, fade, go off, wither, molder, rot, rankle, decay, go bad, go to decay, fall into decay, fall into the sear and yellow leaf, rust, crumble, shake, totter, totter to its fall, perish, die, deteriorate, weaken, put back, set back, taint, infect, contaminate, poison, empoison, envenom, canker, corrupt, exulcerate, pollute, vitiate, inquinate, debase, embase, denaturalize, denature, leaven, deflower, debauch, defile, deprave, degrade, ulcerate, stain, discolor, alloy, adulterate, sophisticate, tamper with, prejudice, pervert, prostitute, demoralize, brutalize, render vicious, embitter, acerbate, exacerbate, aggravate, injure, impair, labefy, damage, harm, hurt, shend, scath, scathe, spoil, mar, despoil, dilapidate, waste, overrun, ravage, pillage, wound, stab, pierce, maim, lame, surbate, cripple, hough, hamstring, hit between wind and water, scotch, mangle, mutilate, disfigure, blemish, deface, warp, blight, rot, corrode, erode, wear away, wear out, gnaw, gnaw at the root of, sap, mine, undermine, shake, sap the foundations of, break up, disorganize, dismantle, dismast, destroy, damnify, do one's worst, knock down, deal a blow to, play havoc with, play sad havoc with, play the mischief with, play the deuce with, play the very devil with, play havoc among, play sad havoc among, play the mischief among, play the deuce among, play the very devil among, decimate.

N deterioration, debasement, wane, ebb, recession, retrogradation, decrease, degeneracy, degeneration, degenerateness, degradation, depravation, depravement, devolution, depravity, demoralization, retrogression, masochism, impairment, inquination, injury, damage, loss, detriment, delaceration, outrage, havoc, inroad, ravage, scath, perversion, prostitution, vitiation, discoloration, oxidation, pollution, defoedation, poisoning, venenation, leaven, contamination, canker, corruption, adulteration, alloy, decline, declension, declination, decadence, decadency, falling off, caducity, decrepitude, decay, dilapidation, ravages of time, wear and tear, corrosion, erosion, moldiness, rottenness, moth and rust, dry rot, blight, marasmus, atrophy, collapse, disorganization, delabrement (destruction), aphid, Aphis, plant louse, puceron, vinefretter, vinegrub, wreck, mere wreck, honeycomb, magni nominis umbra, jade, plug, rackabones, skate, tackey, tacky, have seen better days, deteriorate, degenerate, fall off, wane, ebb, retrograde, decline, droop, go down, go downhill, go from bad to worse, go farther and fare worse, jump out of the frying pan into the fire, run to seed, go to seed, run to waste swale, sweal, lapse, be the worse for, sphacelate: break, break down, spring a leak, crack, start, shrivel, fade, go off, wither, molder, rot, rankle, decay, go bad, go to decay, fall into decay, fall into the sear and yellow leaf, rust, crumble, shake, totter, totter to its fall, perish, die, deteriorate, weaken, put back, set back, taint, infect, contaminate, poison, empoison, envenom, canker, corrupt, exulcerate, pollute, vitiate, inquinate, debase, embase, denaturalize, denature, leaven, deflower, debauch, defile, deprave, degrade, ulcerate, stain, discolor, alloy, adulterate, sophisticate, tamper with, prejudice, pervert, prostitute, demoralize, brutalize, render vicious, embitter, acerbate, exacerbate, aggravate, injure, impair, labefy, damage, harm, hurt, shend, scath, scathe, spoil, mar, despoil, dilapidate, waste, overrun, ravage, pillage, wound, stab, pierce, maim, lame, surbate, cripple, hough, hamstring, hit between wind and water, scotch, mangle, mutilate, disfigure, blemish, deface, warp, blight, rot, corrode, erode, wear away, wear out, gnaw, gnaw at the root of, sap, mine, undermine, shake, sap the foundations of, break up, disorganize, dismantle, dismast, destroy, damnify, do one's worst, knock down, deal a blow to, play havoc with, play sad havoc with, play the mischief with, play the deuce with, play the very devil with, play havoc among, play sad havoc among, play the mischief among, play the deuce among, play the very devil among, decimate, Adj, unimproved &c (improve), deteriorated, altered, altered for the worse, injured, sprung, withering, spoiling, on the wane, on the decline, tabid, degenerate, marescent, worse, the worse for, all the worse for, out of repair, out of tune, imperfect, the worse for wear, battered, weathered, weather-beaten, stale, passe, shaken, dilapidated, frayed, faded, wilted, shabby, secondhand, threadbare, worn, worn to a thread, worn to a shadow, worn to the stump, worn to rags, reduced, reduced to a skeleton, far gone, tacky, decayed, moth-eaten, worm-eaten, mildewed, rusty, moldy, spotted, seedy, time-worn, moss-grown, discolored, effete, wasted, crumbling, moldering, rotten, cankered, blighted, tainted, depraved, decrepid, decrepit, broke, busted, broken, out of commission, hors de combat, out of action, broken down, done, done for, done up, worn out, used up, finished, beyond saving, fit for the dust hole, fit for the wastepaper basket, past work, at a low ebb, in a bad way, on one's last legs, undermined, deciduous, nodding to its fall, tottering, past cure, fatigued, retrograde, deleterious, out of the frying pan into the fire, agrescit medendo, what a falling off was there!.