erase

verb

i-ˈrās How to pronounce erase (audio)
 British  -ˈrāz
erased; erasing; erases

transitive verb

1
a
: to rub or scrape out (something, such as written, painted, or engraved letters)
erase an error
b
: to remove written or drawn marks from
erase a blackboard
c
: to remove (recorded matter) from a magnetic medium (such as magnetic tape)
also : to remove recorded matter from
erase a hard drive
d
: to delete from computer storage
erase a file
2
a
: to remove from existence or memory as if by erasing
b
: to nullify the effect or force of

intransitive verb

: to yield to erasure
erasability noun
erasable adjective

Examples of erase in a Sentence

The recording can be erased and the tape used again. Several important files were accidentally erased. You can erase the tape and use it again. She erased the wrong answer from her paper and filled in the correct one. I erased the chalk marks from the blackboard.
Recent Examples on the Web However, around $40 billion in market value was erased for the holders of TerraUSD and its floating sister currency, Luna, after the stablecoin plunged far below its $1 peg. Predrag Milic, Quartz, 7 Mar. 2024 It’s been on a terrific run and is on track for its 17th winning week in the last 19 after erasing the last of its losses from Monday and Tuesday. Stan Choe, Fortune, 7 Mar. 2024 The currency’s price rose rapidly, before falling just as quickly — minting new millionaires one day and erasing their savings the next. David Yaffe-Bellany, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2024 Mathew also handed him a card printed with a phone number that could help erase both his new fine and – in the longer term, civic leaders here hope – the sort of illicit substance abuse that’s escalated on these streets amid the nationwide opioid epidemic. Josh Campbell, CNN, 2 Mar. 2024 Elliot’s luck seems to turn around when local Probationary Constable Helen Chambers (Danielle Macdonald) visits him at the hospital following the car crash that erased his memory. Dana Feldman, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 Clovis East erased an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit to force overtime. Joseph Dycus, The Mercury News, 28 Feb. 2024 By 1949, about eighty per cent of the Arab population had been removed from the territory claimed by Israel, now larger than what the U.N. partition plan—which was never implemented—had outlined, and hundreds of villages had been erased. Shane Bauer, The New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2024 That's how tech talent can take over for human talent without erasing the need for it entirely. Vishal Bhalla, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'erase.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin erasus, past participle of eradere, from e- + radere to scratch, scrape — more at rodent

First Known Use

1605, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of erase was in 1605

Dictionary Entries Near erase

Cite this Entry

“Erase.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/erase. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

erase

verb
erased; erasing
1
a
: to rub out (as something written)
b
: to remove written or drawn marks from
erase a chalkboard
c
: to remove recorded matter from
erase a videotape
d
: to delete from a computer storage device
erase a file
2
: to remove as if by erasing
erase an event from one's memory
erasability noun
erasable adjective

Legal Definition

erase

transitive verb
erased; erasing
: to seal and protect (criminal records) from disclosure

More from Merriam-Webster on erase

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