eat away

To make someone feel worried or guilty for a long time.

• Guilt was eating away at him.
• That unanswered question has eaten away at me for years.
• Does regret still eat away at you?

How to use it: eat away at someone (The secret was eating away at her.)

Similar words: gnaw at, trouble, torment

Common phrases: eat away inside, eat away constantly

To slowly damage and remove part of a solid material.

• Rust ate away the metal.
• The waves are eating away at the beach.
• Much of the stone had been eaten away by rain.

How to use it: eat away something (Acid can eat away the metal.); eat away at something (Waves ate away at the cliff.); be eaten away by something (The pipes were eaten away by rust.)

Similar words: erode, corrode, wear away

Common phrases: eat away metal, eat away stone, eat away something

To slowly reduce or destroy something valuable, such as trust, money, or confidence.

• Fees eat away our savings.
• Repeated lies ate away at their trust.
• Will rising costs eat away all our profits?

How to use it: eat away at something (Constant arguments ate away at their friendship.); eat away something (Bank fees eat away our savings.)

Similar words: erode, undermine, deplete

Common phrases: eat away confidence, eat away savings, eat away trust