EROSION - 11 definitions found
erosion n 1: (geology) the mechanical process of wearing or grinding something down (as by particles washing over it) [syn: erosion, eroding, eating away, wearing, wearing away}] 2: condition in which the earth's surface is worn away by the action of water and wind 3: a gradual decline of something; "after the accounting scandal there was an erosion of confidence in the auditors" 4: erosion by chemical action [syn: corrosion, corroding, erosion] Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition (2003) erosion noun Date: 1541 1. a. the action or process of eroding b. the state of being eroded 2. an instance or product of erosive action • erosional adjective • erosionally adverb Oxford English Reference Dictionary
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner\'s English Dictionary erosion 1. Erosion is the gradual destruction and removal of rock or soil in a particular area by rivers, the sea, or the weather. As their roots are strong and penetrating, they prevent erosion. ...erosion of the river valleys. ...soil erosion. N-UNCOUNT 2. The erosion of a person's authority, rights, or confidence is the gradual destruction or removal of them. ...the erosion of confidence in world financial markets. ...an erosion of presidential power. N-UNCOUNT: usu N of n 3. The erosion of support, values, or money is a gradual decrease in its level or standard. ...the erosion of moral standards. ...a dramatic erosion of support for the program. N-UNCOUNT: usu N of n English Explanatory Dictionary erosion ɪˈrəuʒən n. 1 Geol. the wearing away of the earth's surface by the action of water, wind, etc. 2 the act or an instance of eroding; the process of being eroded. øøerosional adj. erosive adj. [F ÷rosion f. L erosio (as ERODE)] Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) Erosion \E*ro"sion\, n. The wearing away of the earth's surface by any natural process. The chief agent of erosion is running water; minor agents are glaciers, the wind, and waves breaking against the coast. Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) Erosion \E*ro"sion\, n. [L. erosio. See Erode.] 1. The act or operation of eroding or eating away. 2. The state of being eaten away; corrosion; canker. Soule\'s Dictionary of English Synonyms erosion n. Corrosion, eating away. English Explanatory Dictionary (Synonyms) erosion ɪˈrəuʒən n. wear (and tear), wearing (down or away), wasting away, washing or grinding or rubbing away, corroding, corrosion, abrading, abrasion, eating or gnawing away, chafing, fraying, weathering, attrition: Erosion by rainwater has washed away the topsoil. Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 97 Moby Thesaurus words for "erosion": ablation, abrading, abrasion, abrasive, absorption, abstraction, assimilation, atomization, attrition, breakup, buffing, burning up, burnishing, chafe, chafing, consumption, corroding, corrosion, crumbling, decay, decomposition, decrease, decrement, deduction, degradation, deliquescence, depletion, depreciation, detrition, digestion, dilapidation, disintegration, disjunction, disorganization, dissipation, dissolution, drain, dressing, eating up, erasure, evaporation, exhaustion, expending, expenditure, filing, finishing, fraying, fretting, galling, grazing, grinding, impoverishment, incoherence, ingestion, leakage, limation, loss, polishing, purification, rasping, ravages of time, refinement, removal, resolution, rubbing away, sandblasting, sanding, scouring, scrape, scraping, scratch, scratching, scrub, scrubbing, scuff, shining, shrinkage, smoothing, spending, squandering, subduction, sublation, subtraction, taking away, use, using, using up, wastage, waste, wastefulness, wasting away, wear, wear and tear, wearing, wearing away, wearing down, weathering |
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