ə̇ˈrōd, ēˈ- verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Latin erodere to erode, from e- + rodere to gnaw — more at rat
transitive verb
1. : to diminish or destroy by degrees : eat into or away:
a. : to eat into or away by slow destruction of substance (as by acid, infection, or cancer) : corrode
acids that erode the teeth
cancer had eroded the bone
b.
(1) : to wear down or away by separation of small particles
friction erodes the moving parts of machinery
: rub or scrape away; specifically : to remove with an abrasive
a dental tool that quickly erodes the decayed tooth area
(2) : to wear away (as land) by the action of water, wind, or glacial ice
drainage quickly erodes the fine soil of the plowed hillside
a mountain range that has been eroded into low hills
c. : to cause to deteriorate or disappear as if by eating or wearing away : destroy by degrees
his commitment to a world of conferences … and agitation has eroded his family life — Anthony West
: wear
the institution is eroded away … person by person — R.T.LaPiere
: impair
erode the purchasing power of wages
: undermine
repeated compromises that erode the basic principle of freedom of worship
2. : to produce or form by eroding
glaciers erode U-shaped valleys
intransitive verb
1. : to undergo erosion (as by weathering)
where the land has eroded away
2. : to deteriorate or disappear as if by eating or wearing away
when the rights of any … are chipped away the freedom of all erodes — Earl Warren
his regional accent has nearly eroded