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Geology & Earth Sciences vocabulary · Landforms & Surface Processes

Wear away

Meaning in geology & earth sciences, with examples

phrasal verbCommon term

In geology & earth sciences, wear away means: To make something gradually thinner, smaller or smoother by rubbing, flowing water or wind, or to become thinner in this way.

In Turkish: aşındırmak, aşınmak, aşınıp gitmek

How it is used

A common phrasal verb in textbooks and field talk for describing erosion in simple English. It can take an object (the river wears away the rock) or not (the soft layers wear away faster). Past forms: wore away, worn away.

Example sentences

  1. Waves are slowly wearing away the base of the cliff.

  2. Soft shale layers wear away faster than the hard sandstone above them.

Common collocations

  • wear away the rock
  • slowly wear away
  • worn away by water
  • wear away over time
  • erosionThe removal of soil and rock fragments from one place and their transport to another by water, wind, ice or gravity.
  • weatheringThe breaking down of rock at or near the Earth's surface by physical, chemical or biological processes, without the pieces being carried away.
  • sedimentLoose particles such as sand, mud, gravel, shells or plant matter that are carried by water, wind or ice and settle in a new place.

More terms: Landforms & Surface Processes

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