efface
Americanverb (used with object)
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to wipe out; do away with; expunge.
to efface one's unhappy memories.
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to rub out, erase, or obliterate (outlines, traces, inscriptions, etc.).
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to make (oneself ) inconspicuous; withdraw (oneself ) modestly or shyly.
verb
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to obliterate or make dim
to efface a memory
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to make (oneself) inconspicuous or humble through modesty, cowardice, or obsequiousness
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to rub out (a line, drawing, etc); erase
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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effacesimple
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effacessimple
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have effacedperfect
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has effacedperfect
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are effacingprogressive
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am effacingprogressive
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is effacingprogressive
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have been effacingperfect progressive
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has been effacingperfect progressive
Past
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effacedsimple
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had effacedperfect
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was effacingprogressive
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were effacingprogressive
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had been effacingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of efface
From the Middle French word effacer, dating back to 1480–90; see ef-, face
Explanation
If something is erased or rubbed out, it has been effaced. Teachers get annoyed to find that someone has effaced the blackboard — even the part clearly marked, "Do Not Erase!" You can also efface things that are not physical — like effacing feelings, impressions, or memories. When you efface a memory, you wipe it out as well. Some people believe that their good deeds are able to efface their past wrongs. They'll have to rely on others' opinions to see how well that works.
Vocabulary lists containing efface
100 SAT Words Beginning with "E"
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Unit 1: Telling Details
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"An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" by Ambrose Bierce
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"You may have the power to bring down the government. But you cannot efface reality," he said.
From BBC • Sep. 8, 2025
It’s exceedingly unlikely that Leo had anything to do with her murder, but the show doesn’t efface her tragedy, even as it reckons with the gravity of Leo’s.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 20, 2025
Even his too-muchness, though, had its source in a rich and vivid queer identity he alternately skirted, trumpeted and refuted but could never successfully efface.
From New York Times • May 11, 2020
But some feel privileging an object’s “universal” value can efface the particular history in which it is inscribed, as well as the experiences of the individuals who made it.
From Washington Post • Aug. 8, 2018
Without regrets she honored the obligation she felt to him and was happy to efface herself.
From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
