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# erode

verb (erode, erodes, eroded, eroding); noun erosion

«erode» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. To erode means to wear away slowly, as wind, water or ice rub away rock and soil. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/erode/#m1)
2. To erode can mean to make something slowly weaker or smaller, like trust or confidence being eroded. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/erode/#m2)

### In the lessons

A key geography and science word: rivers erode valleys, waves erode cliffs, rain erodes soil. In everyday talk and news it means something is getting slowly weaker. Phrases: «erode away», «be eroded by the sea», «erode trust».

### Examples

- The waves erode the cliffs a little every year. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/erode/#x1)
- Rivers erode rock and carry it downstream. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/erode/#x2)
- Wind can erode sand dunes. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/erode/#x3)
- Trees help stop the soil from eroding. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/erode/#x4)
- The old statue's face had eroded in the rain. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/erode/#x5)
- Telling lies can erode your friends' trust. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/erode/#x6)
- Over thousands of years the river eroded a deep canyon. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/erode/#x7)
- Soil erosion happens when plants are cut down. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/erode/#x8)

### Note

Regular verb: eroded, eroding. Noun: erosion. Erosion is moving bits away; weathering is breaking rock where it stands; the two often happen together. Erosion is slow, so «erode» usually suggests a long time.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «erode» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/erode/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«erode» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/erode.html) on Mova free.