eat away

atormentar, carcomer

Hacer que alguien sufra durante mucho tiempo por una preocupación o un sentimiento de culpa.

En inglés sencillo: 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?

Cómo se usa: eat away at someone (The secret was eating away at her.)

Sinónimos: gnaw at, trouble, torment

Expresiones frecuentes: eat away inside, eat away constantly

corroer, erosionar

Dañar poco a poco un material sólido, haciendo desaparecer parte de él.

En inglés sencillo: 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.

Cómo se usa: 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.)

Sinónimos: erode, corrode, wear away

Expresiones frecuentes: eat away metal, eat away stone, eat away something

erosionar, mermar

Reducir o destruir poco a poco algo valioso, como la confianza o los ahorros.

En inglés sencillo: 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?

Cómo se usa: eat away at something (Constant arguments ate away at their friendship.); eat away something (Bank fees eat away our savings.)

Sinónimos: erode, undermine, deplete

Expresiones frecuentes: eat away confidence, eat away savings, eat away trust