erase
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to rub or scrape out, as letters or characters written, engraved, etc.; efface.
- Synonyms:
- obliterate, expunge
- Antonyms:
- restore
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to eliminate completely.
She couldn't erase the tragic scene from her memory.
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to obliterate (material recorded on magnetic tape or a magnetic disk).
She erased the message.
- Antonyms:
- restore
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to obliterate recorded material from (a magnetic tape or disk).
He accidentally erased the tape.
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Computers. to remove (data) from computer storage.
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to exclude, replace, or refuse to recognize (the identity, experience, or contribution of a minority group or group member).
Framing rape as a woman’s issue erases men’s accounts of sexual violence from public discourse.
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Slang. to murder.
The gang had to erase him before he informed on them.
verb (used without object)
-
to give way to effacement readily or easily.
-
to obliterate characters, letters, markings, etc., from something.
verb
-
to obliterate or rub out (something written, typed, etc)
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(tr) to destroy all traces of; remove completely
time erases grief
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to remove (a recording) from (magnetic tape)
-
(tr) computing to replace (data) on a storage device with characters representing an absence of data
Synonym Usage
See cancel.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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erasabilitynoun
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erasableadjective
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half-erasedadjective
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nonerasableadjective
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unerasableadjective
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unerasedadjective
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unerasingadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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erasesimple
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erasessimple
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have erasedperfect
-
has erasedperfect
-
am erasingprogressive
-
are erasingprogressive
-
is erasingprogressive
-
have been erasingperfect progressive
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has been erasingperfect progressive
Past
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erasedsimple
-
had erasedperfect
-
was erasingprogressive
-
were erasingprogressive
-
had been erasingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of erase
First recorded in 1595–1605; from Latin ērāsus (past participle of ērādere ), equivalent to ē- e- 1 + rāsus “scraped”; see raze
Explanation
When you erase something, you eliminate or delete it, often by physically wiping it out. It's easy to erase chalk from a blackboard, but not so easy to erase graffiti from the side of a building. There are several ways to erase: you can erase a pencil mark with an eraser; you can digitally erase information on your computer or recording device; and you can figuratively erase something by removing all evidence of it. Peaceful people hope to erase war from the earth, for example — to take away every last trace of it. The Latin root eradere means "scrape out."
Vocabulary lists containing erase
"American Names"
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5-letter words, List 1
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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.
See Examples For:
Chapman proceeded to build a series of brilliant sports cars, win a lot of Formula One championships and erase millions in investments before his death in 1982.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
Their arrest does not erase the culture that elevated them.
From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026
Unlike Earth, the Moon has no active plate tectonics, flowing water, or substantial atmosphere to rapidly erase old craters.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 18, 2026
But analysts say the removals may be an attempt to erase from public spaces a powerful symbol linked to Suu Kyi, the popular Nobel laureate who remains detained.
From Barron's ● Jul. 18, 2026
But thinking about how the SIM raided our property, how Tío Toni had to disappear, how I have to erase everything in my diary, I know that Oscar is telling the truth.
From "Before We Were Free" by Julia Alvarez
But more than that, it obscures the reality and erases the history of transgender lives by diminishing the significant time, money, and effort many transgender people spend to align their body with their sex.
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026
“Their vessel leaves a smooth, filigree-edged road on the ocean that vanishes and erases itself,” Enda notices on her voyage, “so that they can never find their way back, even if they want to.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 29, 2026
Sandisk erases early gains after closing the previous session up 9.1%.
From Barron's ● Apr. 10, 2026
The three singers at least remember the name of the “Men in Black” device that erases your memory: The Neuralyzer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 5, 2026
I say it over and over again like a prayer until the rhythm of the words erases my fear.
From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton
While all damage from smoking may not be erased, quitters can add healthy years to the end of their life, which can be just as important to them as how long they live.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
Despite the harassment, Iran did not lose a game, playing to three draws despite having three goals — any of which would have sent it to the knockout rounds — erased by video reviews.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
Tattooists say "bottomless tattoo" events are devaluing their craft, as removal specialists report growing demand from people wanting tiny tattoos erased.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
The bidding war between Netflix and Paramount erased that loss, but the stock has returned less than 10% in four years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
He wanted to record the crimes against the Osage and wanted to make sure that the agents who had worked with him were not erased from history.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
Typically, “the Court’s cases neither name nor quote the disfranchised, erasing their voices from law’s past.”
From Slate ● Jul. 24, 2026
In fact, the Glassdoor report noted that remote workers may be feeling increased pressure to log more working hours at home, effectively erasing the time they saved by skipping the commute.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 27, 2026
The benchmark Kospi tumbled 8.1% Friday afternoon, erasing Thursday’s gains as investors grew concerned that the rapid growth in profits of chip manufacturers that supply the AI industry could top out.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
The stock ended down 8.5%, erasing its gains so far this year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
I picture her frantically erasing her work on the math exam after I turned mine in and wish again that I’d tried to explain the two-variable equations when she asked me.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
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.
