Synonyms

erase

American

[ih-reys] / ɪˈreɪs /

verb (used with object)

to rub or scrape out, as letters or characters written, engraved, etc.; efface.

Synonyms:

obliterate, expunge

Antonyms:

restore
to eliminate completely.

She couldn't erase the tragic scene from her memory.
to obliterate (material recorded on magnetic tape or a magnetic disk).

She erased the message.

Antonyms:

restore
to obliterate recorded material from (a magnetic tape or disk).

He accidentally erased the tape.
Computers. to remove (data) from computer storage.
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.
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.

erase British

/ ɪˈreɪz /

verb

to obliterate or rub out (something written, typed, etc)
(tr) to destroy all traces of; remove completely

time erases grief
to remove (a recording) from (magnetic tape)
(tr) computing to replace (data) on a storage device with characters representing an absence of data

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Synonym Usage

See cancel.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

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."

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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.

It is no surprise, then, that a court willing to do that would also erase their rights.

From Slate • Jul. 7, 2026

The club faced being deducted up to six points in the Premier League if they failed to erase the deficit.

From BBC • Jul. 1, 2026

"The cumulative nature of it is overwhelming... it tries to completely erase my experience and my trauma," Ostrovsky said.

From Barron's • Jun. 29, 2026

When these findings are presented in a warm and personable tone, they will erase the invisible boundaries between humans and unite us in our shared paths on this Earth.

From Salon • Jun. 28, 2026

“Here to erase me,” it continued, its voice trailing looped faint smoke into the air.

From "Pet" by Akwaeke Emezi

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023