expunge

verb

ex·​punge ik-ˈspənj How to pronounce expunge (audio)
expunged; expunging

transitive verb

1
: to strike out, obliterate, or mark for deletion
2
: to efface completely : destroy
3
: to eliminate from one's consciousness
expunge a memory
expunger noun

Did you know?

In medieval and Renaissance manuscripts, a series of dots was used to mark mistakes or to label material that should be deleted from a text, and those deletion dots can help you remember the history of expunge. They were known as puncta delentia. The puncta part of the name derives from the Latin verb pungere, which can be translated as "to prick or sting" (and you can imagine that a scribe may have felt stung when their mistakes were so punctuated in a manuscript). Pungere is also an ancestor of expunge, as well as a parent of other dotted, pointed, or stinging terms such as punctuate, compunction, poignant, puncture, and pungent.

Examples of expunge in a Sentence

time and the weather have expunged any evidence that a thriving community once existed here
Recent Examples on the Web Tracy, who makes a hobby of researching dictators, deliberately expunged anything in the series that could be construed as a parallel to real-world events. Lili Loofbourow, Washington Post, 2 Mar. 2024 The court clerk’s office is required to enter the restriction into the Georgia Crime Information database within a month after charges are dismissed, said Brenda Smeeton, legal director at the Georgia Justice Project, which helps residents expunge their records for free. Deon J. Hampton, NBC News, 25 Feb. 2024 Redwood National Park has since expunged around 250 miles of road, though 100 miles linger. Ben Goldfarb, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Feb. 2024 Two judges dismissed the charges, ruling that prosecutors couldn’t prove the allegations, and the cases were expunged. Tyler Kingkade, NBC News, 13 Feb. 2024 People who have been convicted of misdemeanors for possession or delivery of marijuana would be able to have their records expunged for free. Rebecca Grapevine, The Courier-Journal, 31 Jan. 2024 Neither technological progress nor scientific expansion can expunge the delightful possibility that the abominable snowman (or Bigfoot, or the Mothman) might well be out there. Chris Wheatley, Longreads, 18 Jan. 2024 There is a reason why our history as Black people tends to be not only less documented, but expunged from the consciousness in terms of education. Okla Jones, Essence, 7 Jan. 2024 The state will also expunge marijuana convictions, and create new regulations for the substance. Alex Derosier, Twin Cities, 1 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'expunge.' 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 expungere to mark for deletion by dots, from ex- + pungere to prick — more at pungent

First Known Use

1602, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of expunge was in 1602

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Dictionary Entries Near expunge

Cite this Entry

“Expunge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/expunge. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

expunge

verb
ex·​punge ik-ˈspənj How to pronounce expunge (audio)
expunged; expunging
: to blot or rub out : erase
expunger noun

Legal Definition

expunge

transitive verb
ex·​punge ik-ˈspənj How to pronounce expunge (audio)
expunged; expunging
: to cancel out or destroy completely
expunge the court records of an acquitted defendant
expungement noun

More from Merriam-Webster on expunge

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