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View synonyms for

erase

[ ih-reys ]

verb (used with object)

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

    Synonyms: ,

    Antonyms:

  2. to eliminate completely:

    She couldn't erase the tragic scene from her memory.

  3. to obliterate (material recorded on magnetic tape or a magnetic disk):

    She erased the message.

    Antonyms:

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

    He accidentally erased the tape.

  5. Computers. to remove (data) from computer storage.
  6. to exclude, replace, or refuse to recognize (the identity, experience, or contribution of a minority group or group member): whitewash ( def 7b ).

    Framing rape as a woman’s issue erases men’s accounts of sexual violence from public discourse.

  7. Slang. to murder:

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



verb (used without object)

erased, erasing.
  1. to give way to effacement readily or easily.
  2. to obliterate characters, letters, markings, etc., from something.

erase

/ ɪˈɪ /

verb

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

    time erases grief

  3. to remove (a recording) from (magnetic tape)
  4. 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
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Derived Forms

  • ˈ, adjective
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Other Word Forms

  • ·a·i·ٲ noun
  • ·a· adjective
  • 󲹱-· adjective
  • non·a· adjective
  • un·a· adjective
  • ܲe· adjective
  • ܲe·iԲ adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of erase1

First recorded in 1595–1605; from Latin ŧܲ (past participle of ŧ ), equivalent to ŧ- e- 1 + ܲ “s”; raze
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Word History and Origins

Origin of erase1

C17: from Latin ŧ to scrape off, from ex- 1+ to scratch, scrape
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Synonym Study

See cancel.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

"We don't need to be fixed. We need to be supported. But the answer isn't erasing autism, it's building a more inclusive world for all of us."

From

He knew that the only way to erase the margins was to stand out at them.

From

We are not going to erase the people we serve.”

From

But at the heart of the battle was a more philosophical question, one with an answer that should be self-evident: Is it possible to "respect" someone while trying to erase their existence?

From

Trans campaigners have expressed concern the ruling would erase protections they have against discrimination in their reassigned gender.

From

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eradicationeraser