verb · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
UK:/kəˈɹəʊd/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
US:/kəˈɹoʊd/
US:[kəˈɹoʊ̯d]
US:[kɚˈ(ɹ)oʊ̯d]
rhymes with -əʊd
CMU ARPABET:K ER0 OW1 D
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
verb
Meaning 1
To eat away bit by bit; to wear away or diminish by gradually separating or destroying small particles of, as by action of a strong acid or a caustic alkali.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
verb
Meaning 2
To consume; to wear away; to prey upon; to impair.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
Examples
My morale is being corroded day by day.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
verb
Meaning 3
To have corrosive action; to be subject to corrosion.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
verb
Meaning 4
become destroyed by water, air, or a corrosive such as an acid
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
The metal corroded
The pipes rusted
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: rust
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: decay, crumble, dilapidate
Narrower terms: fret, eat away
5
verb
Meaning 5
cause to deteriorate due to the action of water, air, or an acid
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
The acid corroded the metal
The steady dripping of water rusted the metal stopper in the sink
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: eat, rust
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: damage
History
Etymology
From Middle English corrōden, that borrowed from Old French corroder or directly from Latin corrōdere (“to gnaw”), from con- (“completely”) + rōdere (“to gnaw”).
Across languages
Translations
51 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
أكل
— to eat away
Arabic:
أصدأ
— to eat away
Asturian:
corroyer
— to eat away
Bulgarian:
разяждам
(razjaždam)
— to eat away
Catalan:
corroir
— to eat away
Chinese Mandarin:
腐蝕 /腐蚀
(fǔshí)
— to eat away
Dutch:
uithollen
— to eat away
Dutch:
roesten
— to eat away
Dutch:
corroderen
— to eat away
Dutch:
uitbijten
— to eat away
Dutch:
inbijten
— to eat away
Dutch:
aanvreten
— to eat away
Esperanto:
korodi
— to eat away
Finnish:
syövyttää
— to eat away
Finnish:
ruostuttaa
— to eat away
Finnish:
kulua
— to eat away
Finnish:
kuluttaa
— to eat away
Finnish:
syödä
— to eat away
French:
éroder
— to eat away
French:
rouiller
— to eat away
Galician:
corroer
— to eat away
German:
zerfressen
— to eat away
Greek:
διαβρώνω
(diavróno)
— to eat away
Hebrew:
שיתך
(shitékh)
— to eat away
Hebrew:
איכל
(ikél)
— to eat away
Icelandic:
æta
— to eat away
Italian:
corrodere
— to eat away
Māori:
pūnguru
— to eat away
Portuguese:
corroer
— to eat away
Russian:
разъеда́ть
(razʺjedátʹ)
— to eat away
Russian:
разъе́сть
(razʺjéstʹ)
— to eat away
Spanish:
corroer
— to eat away
Vietnamese:
ăn mòn
— to eat away
Catalan:
corroir
— to consume
Dutch:
corroderen
— to consume
Arabic:
تآكل
— to have corrosive action
Arabic:
صدئ
— to have corrosive action
Bulgarian:
кородирам
(korodiram)
— to have corrosive action
Catalan:
corroir
— to have corrosive action
Chinese Mandarin:
侵蝕 /侵蚀
(qīnshí)
— to have corrosive action
Dutch:
corroderen
— to have corrosive action
Finnish:
syöpyä
— to have corrosive action
Finnish:
ruostua
— to have corrosive action
French:
corroder
— to have corrosive action
German:
korrodieren
— to have corrosive action
German:
rosten
— to have corrosive action
Portuguese:
corroer
— to have corrosive action
Russian:
корроди́ровать
(korrodírovatʹ)
— to have corrosive action
Russian:
ржаве́ть
(ržavétʹ)
— to have corrosive action
Russian:
заржаве́ть
(zaržavétʹ)
— to have corrosive action
