erase

[ ih-reys ]

/ ɪˈreɪs /

See synonyms for: erase / erased on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), e·rased, e·ras·ing.

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

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.

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.See also whitewash (def. 7b).

Slang. to murder: The gang had to erase him before he informed on them.

verb (used without object), e·rased, e·ras·ing.

to give way to effacement readily or easily.

to obliterate characters, letters, markings, etc., from something.

SYNONYMS FOR erase

1 expunge, obliterate.

See synonyms for erase on Thesaurus.com

ANTONYMS FOR erase

1, 3 restore.

See antonyms for erase on Thesaurus.com

QUIZZES

THIS PSAT VOCABULARY QUIZ IS PERFECT PRACTICE FOR THE REAL TEST

In our third teacher-created PSAT practice test there are new and unique vocabulary terms you may have never heard of! Can you guess what they mean?

Question 1 of 10

seclusion

a false belief or opinion.

the matter that settles to the bottom of a liquid.

the state of being isolated, kept apart, or withdrawn into solitude.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of erase

First recorded in 1595–1605; from Latin ērāsus (past participle of ērādere ), equivalent to ē- e-¹ + rāsus “scraped”; see raze

synonym study for erase

1. See cancel.

OTHER WORDS FROM erase

e·ras·a·bil·i·ty, noune·ras·a·ble, adjectivehalf-e·rased, adjectivenon·e·ras·a·ble, adjective

un·e·ras·a·ble, adjectiveun·e·rased, adjectiveun·e·ras·ing, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH erase

erasable , irascible

Words nearby erase

er, era, eradiate, eradicable, eradicate, erase, eraser, erasing head, erasion, Erasistratus, Erasmian

Example sentences from the Web for erase

Do as Tumblr has done and scrub her last words off the Internet—erase everything she wanted the world to hear.
Cover-Ups and Concern Trolls: Actually, It's About Ethics in Suicide Journalism|Arthur Chu|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Is this a mature expression of understandable judgment, or a bid to erase history while conflating fiction and reality?
Newsflash: Bill Cosby Is Not Cliff Huxtable|Tim Teeman|November 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Its militants say explicitly they are out to erase the borders that Sykes-Picot established across most of the modern Middle East.
Turkish President Declares Lawrence of Arabia a Bigger Enemy than ISIS|Jamie Dettmer|October 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Later, she told a local reporter that she had used a chemical to erase her fingerprints.
The Mystery Woman Who Tried to Outdo Dillinger|Michael Daly|September 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST

I immediately realized I needed to do something to erase that legacy from my memory.
Paul Haggis on Scientology, the ‘Crash’ Oscar, and ‘Third Person’|Kevin Fallon|June 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The shaman is frequently seen correcting the workmen and making them erase and revise their work.
The Mountain Chant, A Navajo Ceremony|Washington Matthews
I scribbled in pencil—which you can erase with a bit of bread—some notes on the Cajan song, that may interest you.
The Life and Letters of Lafcadio Hearn, Volume 1|Elizabeth Bisland
The test applied was to erase some particular letter of the alphabet from one page of a book.
The Sexual Life of the Child|Albert Moll
We may have to use her own machine once more to erase the memory of its structure from her mind.
The Cartels Jungle|Irving E. Cox, Jr.
If they should allow it, they will erase it from this account, No. 2.
The Diplomatic Correspondence of the American Revolution (Volume VI)|Various

British Dictionary definitions for erase

erase

/ (ɪˈreɪz) /

verb

to obliterate or rub out (something written, typed, etc)

(tr) to destroy all traces of; remove completelytime 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

Derived forms of erase

erasable, adjective

Word Origin for erase

C17: from Latin ērādere to scrape off, from ex- 1 + rādere to scratch, scrape

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

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WORD OF THE DAY

erase

verb (used with object), e·rased, e·ras·ing.

verb (used without object), e·rased, e·ras·ing.

SYNONYMS FOR erase

ANTONYMS FOR erase

QUIZZES

THIS PSAT VOCABULARY QUIZ IS PERFECT PRACTICE FOR THE REAL TEST

Origin of erase

synonym study for erase

OTHER WORDS FROM erase

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH erase

Words nearby erase

Example sentences from the Web for erase

British Dictionary definitions for erase

verb

Derived forms of erase

Word Origin for erase

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

erase

verb (used with object), e·rased, e·ras·ing.

verb (used without object), e·rased, e·ras·ing.

SYNONYMS FOR erase

ANTONYMS FOR erase

QUIZZES

THIS PSAT VOCABULARY QUIZ IS PERFECT PRACTICE FOR THE REAL TEST

Origin of erase

synonym study for erase

OTHER WORDS FROM erase

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH erase

Words nearby erase

Words related to erase

Example sentences from the Web for erase

British Dictionary definitions for erase

verb

Derived forms of erase

Word Origin for erase