abrade

/əˈbreɪd/ (bre, ipa) · /əˈbreɪd/ (ame, ipa) · /ə-ˈbrād/ (ame, mw)

abrade — verb

  • abradepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • abradeshe / she / it
  • abradedpast simple
  • abrading-ing form

1. to damage or wear down a surface by rubbing it against something rough or hard,

1.動詞及物 / 不及物C1
釋義

to damage or wear down a surface by rubbing it against something rough or hard, so that small pieces of material come off

例句

The river's current had slowly abraded the sharp edges of the rocks over centuries.

passive or transitive use with natural forces as subject

Dr. Okafor warned that harsh toothpaste ingredients can abrade tooth enamel over time.

medical/dental context; transitive use with inanimate subject

同義詞
  • scrape

    more common and general; can describe a single quick action rather than gradual wearing

  • wear away

    emphasises the gradual loss of material over time; used in both technical and everyday contexts

  • erode

    similar but usually refers to natural forces (wind, water) acting for very long periods

  • chafe

    specifically about rubbing that causes irritation or soreness, often on skin or fabric

反義詞
  • smooth

    abrade roughens a surface; smoothing makes it even

  • polish

    polishing removes tiny irregularities to make a surface shiny, while abrading wears it down roughly

文法句型

abrade + noun

be abraded (by/against + noun)

noun + abrades (intransitive)

用法筆記

Frequently appears in passive or participial form. The intransitive use ('the surface abrades easily') is less common than the transitive one. In everyday conversation, simpler verbs like 'scrape' or 'wear down' are typically preferred.

常見錯誤

❌The rope abraded after years of use.
✅The rope frayed after years of use.
💡'abrade' describes surface damage from friction, not the unraveling of fibres.
❌I abraded my knee on the sidewalk.
✅I scraped my knee on the sidewalk.
💡'scrape' is the everyday word for accidentally rubbing skin against a rough surface; 'abrade' sounds overly technical.