weathering

/ˈweðərɪŋ/ (bre, ipa) · [wˈɛðɚɪŋ] /ˈweðərɪŋ/ (ame, ipa) · [wˈɛðɚɪŋ] /ˈwet͟h-riŋ,  ˈwe-t͟hə- How to pronounce weathering (audio)/ (ame, mw)

weathering — noun

1. gradual fading, roughening, or other surface change that appears when wood, pain

1.名詞C1
釋義

gradual fading, roughening, or other surface change that appears when wood, paint, stone, or similar materials stay outside for a long time in sun, wind, and rain

例句

Years of sea wind left clear weathering on the blue door.

weathering on an outdoor surface

Linh noticed weathering on the mailbox where the paint had faded.

同義詞
  • wear

    broader and often caused by use or rubbing, not specifically by outdoor conditions

  • fading

    narrower; focuses on loss of colour rather than wider surface damage

  • surface damage

    broader description that does not specifically suggest natural exposure

文法句型

weathering on + surface

signs of weathering

weathering from + sun/wind/rain

用法筆記

Usually uncountable. This sense focuses on the visible effect left on paint, wood, stone, or metal after time outdoors. Distinguish from sense 2, which names the geological process that breaks rock down.

常見錯誤

❌The old paint has a lot of erosion.
✅The old paint shows a lot of weathering.
💡use weathering for gradual surface change from exposure to sun, wind, and rain.

2. the natural process in which rock slowly cracks, wears away, or turns into small

2.名詞C1
釋義

the natural process in which rock slowly cracks, wears away, or turns into smaller pieces because rain, wind, heat, and other outdoor forces act on it

例句

Over centuries, weathering turned the cliff into loose red sand.

weathering changes rock into smaller material

The teacher showed how weathering breaks mountain rock into soil.

同義詞
  • erosion

    related but not the same; erosion removes and carries material away after it has been weathered

  • breakdown

    general word for material falling apart, without the technical earth-science focus

  • disintegration

    more formal and wider in use; not limited to rock or weather effects

文法句型

weathering of + rock

chemical weathering

physical weathering

用法筆記

Mostly used in geology and earth science. Distinguish from sense 1: this sense is about the natural process that breaks rock into smaller pieces, not just the fading or marks seen on a finished surface.

常見錯誤

❌Weathering moves the broken rock down the river.
✅Weathering breaks the rock down; erosion moves the pieces away.
💡weathering changes the rock itself, while erosion carries the material elsewhere.