eating away at

“The ruthlessness inherent in Marxist-inspired radicalism is slowly eating away at the fabric of American civilization.”

Simon & Schuster: HOW EVIL WORKS

“This suggested that his language-processing struggles were eating away at his otherwise good attention.”

Simon & Schuster: A Mind at a Time

“She likes the souvenir shops, and the various hotels that house tourists, even as the locals bemoan the constant construction, the expansion of infrastructure that they say is eating away at Murree's natural beauty.”

A Thousand Splendid Suns

“With erosion eating away at south Louisiana, Travirca said it was urgent to preserve and investigate the ancient cultures that lived here.”

USA Today: Oil spill cleanup turns up trove of Indian relics

“AS THE CAMPAIGN FOR THE PRESIDENCY got under way late that summer in 1980, Americans for a second year in a row were trying to cope with the ruthless effects of double-digit inflation, which was eating away at their savings, their paychecks, and their way of life like a horde of locusts.”

Simon & Schuster: An American Life

“Kinrove's magic of terror and depression was a steady onslaught against Gettys, wearing the soldiers down and eating away at morale.”

Renegade's Magic