To eat away by degrees; to wear away or diminish by gradually separating or destroying small particles of, as by action of a strong acid or a caustic alkali
become destroyed by water, air, or an etching chemical such as an acid; "The metal corroded"; "The pipes rusted" cause to deteriorate due to the action of water, air, or an acid; "The acid corroded the metal"; "The steady dripping of water rusted the metal stopper in the sink
(verb) To destroy a substance (usually a metal) gradually by a chemical action (eg, oxidation) Corrosion is often an unwanted chemical reaction, such as when marble statues are destroyed by pollution / acid rain or when a car rusts as the metal is oxidized by road salt during winter
cause to deteriorate due to the action of water, air, or an acid; "The acid corroded the metal"; "The steady dripping of water rusted the metal stopper in the sink
To eat away by degrees; to wear away or diminish by gradually separating or destroying small particles of as by action of a strong acid or a caustic alkali
If metal or stone corrodes, or is corroded, it is gradually destroyed by a chemical or by rust. He has devised a process for making gold wires which neither corrode nor oxidise Engineers found the structure had been corroded by moisture Acid rain destroys trees and corrodes buildings. + corroded cor·rod·ed The investigators found that the underground pipes were badly corroded