Synonyms

erode

American

[ih-rohd] / ɪˈroʊd /

verb (used with object)

to eat into or away; destroy by slow consumption or disintegration.

Battery acid had eroded the engine. Inflation erodes the value of our money.

Synonyms:

spoil, ravage, waste, corrode

Antonyms:

reinforce, strengthen
to form (a gully, butte, or the like) by erosion.

verb (used without object)

to become eroded.

erode British

/ ɪˈrəʊd /

verb

to grind or wear down or away or become ground or worn down or away
to deteriorate or cause to deteriorate

jealousy eroded the relationship
(tr; usually passive) pathol to remove (tissue) by ulceration

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of erode

First recorded in 1605–15; from French ė́roder or directly from Latin ērōdere, equivalent to ē- “out of, from” + rōdere “to gnaw”; see e- ¹

Explanation

When soil or land erodes, it wears away or is removed. Many beaches seem to get smaller and smaller, as the endless wash of the waves begins to erode the fine sand. While erode is most commonly used when describing land loss, you can also use it in less literal ways. Numerous hospital bills can cause your savings to erode. Each time you catch your friend in a lie, your trust in her erodes a little more. Consumer confidence is eroding away as the media reports more and more bad economic news. What’s key here is both the sense of loss, as well as the idea that it is a gradual process.

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The proposal, he said, did not erode the identities of Llantwit Major and Llanmaes as a road between them provided a "strong physical separating function".

From BBC • Jun. 11, 2026

Once a cultural touchstone, late-night television has seen its prominence erode greatly over the years with viewers and advertising dollars shifting away from broadcast TV to streaming.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 8, 2026

And while strong earnings have been a key pillar for the stock rally, some fret that a prolonged war could erode future results.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026

As mangroves die and carbon-rich soils erode, carbon that had been locked away can be released back into the environment.

From Science Daily • Jun. 5, 2026

And with all the cold-weather rowing interspersed with days when they couldn’t row at all, the boys’ morale began to erode.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023