eat away at something

eat away at something
(or eat something away) erode or destroy something gradually

the sun and wind eat away at the ice | prevents bone from being eaten away

use up (profits, resources, or time), esp. when they are intended for other purposes

inflation can eat away at the annuity's value over the years


Useful english dictionary. 2012.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • eat away at something — eat away at (something) to reduce something by a little at a time. These bank fees eat away at my savings every month …   New idioms dictionary

  • eat away at — (something) to reduce something by a little at a time. These bank fees eat away at my savings every month …   New idioms dictionary

  • eat away — verb 1. remove soil or rock Rain eroded the terraces • Syn: ↑erode, ↑fret • Derivationally related forms: ↑erosive (for: ↑erode), ↑erosion ( …   Useful english dictionary

  • eat away — phrasal verb [transitive] Word forms eat away : present tense I/you/we/they eat away he/she/it eats away present participle eating away past tense ate away past participle eaten away eat away or eat into to gradually destroy something Within a… …   English dictionary

  • eat something away or eat away at/into — erode or destroy something gradually. → eat …   English new terms dictionary

  • eat — W1S1 [i:t] v past tense ate [et, eıt US eıt] past participle eaten [ˈi:tn] ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1¦(food)¦ 2¦(meal)¦ 3 eat your words 4 eat your heart out 5 eat somebody alive/eat somebody for breakfast 6¦(use)¦ 7 eat humble pie …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • tear away from something — tear (yourself) away (from (someone/something)) to force yourself to leave a person or activity. I m glad you managed to tear yourself away from the TV and come eat dinner with us! These video games offer plenty of action – you will hardly be… …   New idioms dictionary

  • eat — [ it ] (past tense ate [ eıt ] ; past participle eat|en [ itn ] ) verb intransitive or transitive *** to put food into your mouth and swallow it: We sat on the grass and ate our sandwiches. Don t talk while you re eating. I ve eaten too much.… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • eat — ► VERB (past ate; past part. eaten) 1) put (food) into the mouth and chew and swallow it. 2) (eat out or in) have a meal in a restaurant (or at home). 3) (eat something away or eat away at/into) gradually erode or des …   English terms dictionary

  • tear yourself away from something — tear (yourself) away (from (someone/something)) to force yourself to leave a person or activity. I m glad you managed to tear yourself away from the TV and come eat dinner with us! These video games offer plenty of action – you will hardly be… …   New idioms dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”