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
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 noun
erodible adjective
or less commonly erodable

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The other is a more nebulous worry that programmable money, by definition, erodes individual autonomy. Zennon Kapron, Forbes.com, 30 Apr. 2025 There is no question that high tariffs will erode Chinese exporters’ access to the U.S. market. Zongyuan Zoe Liu, Foreign Affairs, 29 Apr. 2025 The collapse of the property market — which the Chinese have traditionally viewed as a primary store of value — has eroded household wealth and crushed consumer confidence. Paulina Likos, CNBC, 28 Apr. 2025 The clouds are being eroded and shaped by the seething radiation from the cluster of larger stars in the center. Alan Taylor, The Atlantic, 28 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for erode

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of erode was in 1612

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Erode.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/erode. Accessed 3 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

erode

verb
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
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

More from Merriam-Webster on erode

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