abrade

verb

ə-ˈbrād How to pronounce abrade (audio)
Definition of abradenext
1
as in to erode
to damage or diminish by continued friction ropes abraded by the rocks were a huge danger to the climbers

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in to irritate
to make sore by continued rubbing my new running shoes abraded my heels until they blistered

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in to scrape
to damage by rubbing against a sharp or rough surface the yacht's once-flawless wooden hull had been badly abraded by years of rough dockings

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of abrade Loose-fitting covers can flap in the wind and abrade wicker surfaces. — Colleen Sullivan, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Dec. 2025 Pockmarks and brittle edges show the abrading action of millennia of wind and rain. — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025 Each time clothes rub against each other in the washer, the friction abrades the fibers slightly causing the surface to look dull. — Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 8 Nov. 2025 For example, the prior version’s straps abraded the skin around his knee, but redistributing the weight through abdominal and thigh straps fixed the problem. — Eliza Strickland, IEEE Spectrum, 15 July 2015 See All Example Sentences for abrade
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abrade
  1. erode
  2. irritate
  3. scrape
  4. wear
  5. scratch
  6. fray
Verb
  • The new king must steady royal fortunes amid damaging scrutiny of Queen Mette-Marit’s past ties to Jeffrey Epstein and stepson Marius Høiby’s rape conviction, which has eroded public support for the monarchy.
    — Jan M. Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The new home of Engine 8 — staffed by 12 firefighters who work in four-person crews — replaces its previous facility, which traces its origins back to 1913 and sits on the eroding west bank of Coyote Creek four blocks away.
    — Sal Pizarro, Mercury News, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of erode
Verb
  • Antosh recommends checking with a doctor before using a high-pressure bidet right after childbirth or with genital ulcers, since powerful streams can irritate healing tissue.
    — Hanna Wickes, Sacbee.com, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Oh, and don’t worry about sparkles irritating your gaze—the formula is ophthalmologist-tested.
    — Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of irritate
Verb
  • Together, the family scraped together $60,000 from savings and a Small Business Administration loan and opened Panda Inn in Pasadena, California, in 1973.
    — Preston Fore, Fortune, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Burger King has 286 locations in Ohio, according to the data-scraping website ScrapeHero.
    — Chad Murphy, Cincinnati Enquirer, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of scrape
Verb
  • Wear it with leggings for a travel outfit that feels a little more elevated than wearing a sweatsuit.
    — Jasmine Gomez, Travel + Leisure, 30 Aug. 2026
  • All the guests at Bozoma Saint-John Watson's wedding to Keely Watson were asked to wear authentic Kente cloth attire.
    — Rebecca Suhrawardi, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of wear
Verb
  • Its uniquely wide view will also help scientists decode the intricacies of dark matter and dark energy while perhaps clearing up some contradictions about our universe that scientists have been scratching their heads over for decades.
    — Monisha Ravisetti, Space.com, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Culturally, college football scratches the human itch for tribalism, which America’s ethos of individualism fortunately discourages.
    — George F. Will, Washington Post, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of scratch
Verb
  • Amid competing global crises and shifting donor priorities, that safety net is fraying.
    — Lorcan Lovett, NPR, 25 Aug. 2026
  • To help prevent the fabric around the drawstring hole from fraying, paint a rectangle and snip an opening in the channel as described below.
    — Jodi Levine, Parents, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of fray

Browse Nearby Words

abracadabras
abrade
abraded
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Abrade.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abrade. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of dissonant

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All