Phrase guide

eat away

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.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /iːt‿əˈweɪ/
  • General-American: /it‿əˈweɪ/
  • General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -eɪ

1

verb

Meaning 1

To physically corrode or erode (something) gradually.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic, transitive

Examples

  • The river bank had been eaten away over the years by the flood water.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: begnaw

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively, idiomatic, transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: corrode, erode

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

Chiefly followed by at: of a circumstance, incident, etc.: to cause (someone) to feel guilty, troubled, or worried; to bother (see eat away at).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively, idiomatic, specifically, transitive

Examples

  • The guilt of having lied was eating away at him.
  • Not confessing that I had stolen the money ate away at me until I could no longer sleep.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

wear away or erode

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: fret

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: corrode, rust

5

verb

Meaning 5

remove soil or rock

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • Rain eroded the terraces

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: erode, fret

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: damage

Narrower terms: wash

History

Etymology

From eat + away.

Across languages

Translations

90 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Albanian: brej — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Albanian: grij — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Arabic: أَبْلَى (ʔablā) — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Arabic: أَهْلَكَ (ʔahlaka) — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Arabic: أَكَلَ (ʔakala) — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Arabic: نَخْرَبَ (naḵraba) — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Arabic: قَرَضَ (qaraḍa) — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Arabic: رَتَمَ (ratama) — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Arabic: تَآكَلَ (taʔākala) — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Old Armenian: հարկանեմ (harkanem) — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Bashkir: ашау (aşaw) — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Basque: jan — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Catalan: desgastar — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Catalan: rosegar — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Catalan: corcar — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Cebuano: kutkot — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Czech: rozežírat — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Czech: rozžírat — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Czech: rozežrat — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Middle Dutch: cnāgen — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Estonian: õgima — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Finnish: jäytää — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Finnish: kuluttaa — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Finnish: lahottaa — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Finnish: nakertaa — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Finnish: rapauttaa — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Finnish: syövyttää — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • French: chicoter — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • French: émietter — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • German: aufzehren — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • German: fressen — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • German: nagen — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • German: zerfressen — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Greek: μαραίνω (maraíno) — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Hungarian: esz — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Ido: manjar — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Irish: cnaígh — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Irish: creim — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Italian: smangiare — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Ladino: komer — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Latin: obedō — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Macedonian: нагризе (nagrize) — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Maltese: qarmeċ — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Pannonian Rusyn: єсц (jesc) — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Polish: jeść — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Polish: zjeść — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Polish: korodować — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Polish: skorodować — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Polish: nadżerać — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Polish: nadeżreć — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Polish: przegryzać — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Polish: przegryźć — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Polish: przeżerać — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Polish: przeżreć — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Polish: wyżerać — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Polish: wyżreć — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Polish: żłobić — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Portuguese: comer — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Romanian: mânca — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Romanian: roade — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Russian: изъеда́ть (izʺjedátʹ) — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Russian: изъе́сть (izʺjéstʹ) — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Russian: подмыва́ть (podmyvátʹ) — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Russian: подмы́ть (podmýtʹ) — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Russian: пожира́ть (požirátʹ) — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Russian: пожра́ть (požrátʹ) — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Russian: разъеда́ть (razʺjedátʹ) — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Russian: разъе́сть (razʺjéstʹ) — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Russian: выеда́ть (vyjedátʹ) — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Russian: вы́есть (výjestʹ) — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Serbo-Croatian: гри̏сти — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Serbo-Croatian: ѝзгристи — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Serbo-Croatian: на̀гристи — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Serbo-Croatian: нагри́зати — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Serbo-Croatian: grȉsti — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Serbo-Croatian: ìzgristi — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Serbo-Croatian: nàgristi — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Serbo-Croatian: nagrízati — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Spanish: apolillar — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Spanish: cancerar — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Spanish: carcomer — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Spanish: chancomer — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Spanish: pacer — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Spanish: picar — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Spanish: reconcomer — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Spanish: roer — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Tamil: பட்சி (paṭci) — to physically corrode or erode (something) gradually; (figurative) to destroy (something) gradually by an ongoing process
  • Catalan: corcar — to bother
  • Polish: zżerać — to bother
  • Polish: zeżreć — to bother