Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To wear down, rub away, or scrape by friction.
  • intransitive verb To become worn or scraped by abrasion.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To rub or wear away; rub or scrape off; detach particles from the surface of by friction: as, glaciers abrade the rocks over which they pass; to abrade the prominences of a surface.
  • Synonyms Scratch, Chafe, etc. See scrape, transitive verb

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb obsolete Same as abraid.
  • transitive verb To rub or wear off; to waste or wear away by friction.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb transitive Obsolete spelling of abraid.
  • verb transitive To cause the surface to become more rough.
  • verb intransitive To undergo abrasion.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb rub hard or scrub
  • verb wear away

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Latin abrādere, to scrape off : ab-, away; see ab– + rādere, to scrape; see rēd- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Old English abraiden.

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word abrade.

Examples

  • • Start to "abrade" the area by distressing the marked area with sandpaper.

    Denimology 2009

  • She wiped the piece of broccoli away from the hairs on his arm, taking care not to abrade his skin.

    For the Sake of the Boy Ramola D 2011

  • To clean an unidentified spot of dirt from a page of a Samaritan Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible), Ms. de Arteni used a very soft vinyl eraser, a medium that won't abrade the vellum (animal skin) of the rare 13th-century volume.

    The New York Public Library: From Vault to Exhibition Gallery: Conserving Library Treasures The New York Public Library 2010

  • He would have naught but stubs left if he made it a habit to abrade them so often.

    Much Ado About Marriage Karen Hawkins 2010

  • And they pose a greater infection hazard than regular manicures since the vibrating electric file can easily cut or abrade the skin.

    8 things not to buy this holiday season, for yourself or anyone else 2010

  • In the most hazardous situations, they can abrade turbine blades, clog the innards of modern jet engines and plug their cooling systems, causing them to stop running.

    How Ash Particles Damage a Jet Engine 2010

  • I pulled my elbows up, felt the scruff of the mattress gently abrade the backs of my arms, and settled into a modified prone position.

    CUBA: FIVE DAYS ON THE CHEAP, FREE CELL, FREE GUARD DOG, FREE GUARD 2010

  • The power of this film creeps up on you by stealth; its dramatic idiom is admittedly mannered in the Leigh style but shy of caricature, and designed consistently to abrade the audience's consciousness without irritating? fingertips down the blackboard, not fingernails.

    Another Year ? review Peter Bradshaw 2010

  • But I relaxed my throat and let the liquid in, gulping the entire thing down fast, letting the sharp tannins abrade my mouth and tongue, my throat, and even my stomach.

    The Next Ten Minutes EdD Andrew Peterson 2010

  • But I relaxed my throat and let the liquid in, gulping the entire thing down fast, letting the sharp tannins abrade my mouth and tongue, my throat, and even my stomach.

    The Next Ten Minutes EdD Andrew Peterson 2010

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • Citation on unrugged.

    June 5, 2009