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YOUR VOCABULARY, ONE WORD AT A TIME

corrode

Verb

IPA /kəˈrəʊd/

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Meaning in plain English

To gradually damage a material through chemical action, or become damaged in this way.

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Pronunciation

corrode/kəˈrəʊd/

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  1. An undamaged metal surface

  2. Air and moisture act on it

  3. The surface slowly deteriorates

To corrode is to be gradually damaged by chemical action, as metal can be by rust.

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Examples in context

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  1. Salt air had corroded the metal gate near the beach.
  2. The students examined a pipe that had corroded over time.

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To gradually damage a material through chemical action, or become damaged in this way.
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corrode — To gradually damage a material through chemical action, or become damaged in this way.

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To gradually damage a material through chemical action, or become damaged in this way.

Compare: Salt air had corroded the metal gate near the beach.

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Word origin

From Latin corrodere, meaning to gnaw away.

Did you know?

Corroded metal and corrosion are related forms used to describe this damage.

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corrode

/kəˈrəʊd/ (Verb)

“This lesson uses the material sense. Corrode can be transitive or intransitive: salt corrodes metal; metal corrodes.”

englishskillstudio.com