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
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has effacedperfect 3rd person singular
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have effacedperfect
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are effacingprogressive
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have been effacingperfect progressive
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am effacingprogressive 1st person singular
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has been effacingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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is effacingprogressive 3rd person singular
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effacessingular 3rd person
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effacingparticiple
Past
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had effacedperfect
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was effacingprogressive singular
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were effacingprogressive plural
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had been effacingperfect progressive
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effacedparticiple
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effacedsimple
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.
Not time, not lightning, Not rain, not thunder, Efface the endless Decrees of Heaven— Make Justice alter, Revoke, assuage her sentence, Which dooms dread ends to dreadful deeds, And violent deaths to violent men. str.
From Poetical Works of Matthew Arnold by Arnold, Matthew
Thy tears subdue my soul, thy sighs Efface all other memories.
From Béarn and the Pyrenees A Legendary Tour to the Country of Henri Quatre by Costello, Louisa Stuart
Efface yourself till I give you the word.
From Andivius Hedulio Adventures of a Roman Nobleman in the Days of the Empire by White, Edward Lucas
Efface as much as possible the bad impression produced on the mind, because calumny always produces such.
From Fraternal Charity by Valuy, Benôit
Say, when beneath your rubbish has been thrown, Some rogue to reputation all unknown— Men's backs being turned—should lift his thieving hand, Efface your name and substitute his own.
From Black Beetles in Amber by Bierce, Ambrose
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.
