abrade

Everyday

To abrade means to scrape or wear away the surface of something by rubbing: «The rough rope abraded his hands.» tree →

In the lessons

In science and geography lessons on erosion, rocks are abraded by sand, pebbles and ice carried in wind, rivers, waves and glaciers (abrasion). In first aid, an abraded knee is a graze. In technology, sandpaper abrades wood to make it smooth. Phrases: «abraded skin», «abraded by sand».

Examples

• Wind full of sand abrades the rocks in the desert. tree →
• The rough rope abraded his hands. tree →
• Pebbles carried by the river abrade the riverbed. tree →
• She fell off her bike and abraded her knee. tree →
• Sandpaper abrades the wood until it is smooth. tree →
• Glaciers abrade the rock beneath them, leaving scratches. tree →

Note

Regular verb: abraded. Noun: abrasion (a graze, or the wearing away of rock). Adjective: abrasive (rough; also rude and harsh about a person). Formal and scientific; everyday words are «scrape», «graze», «rub».