as in to erase
to destroy all traces of
when the supply ship finally arrived, it discovered that virtually all evidence of the colony at Roanoke had been effaced
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Recent Examples of efface
The leaps in time have the eerie effect of effacing time—the layered succession of images implying their simultaneity in Lidia’s mind.
—
Richard Brody, New Yorker, 13 Jan. 2026
This collection represents his earnest and thrilling mission to efface the line between poetry and prose, to introduce us to the possibility that each is affirmed and made complete by the other.
—Emma Alpern, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
Has any country been quite so successful in effacing a people through the ubiquity of their representation on stamps, in schoolboy games and on billboards for tourist destinations along Route 66?
—Andrew Moore, New York Times, 15 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for efface
Richard Brody, New Yorker, 13 Jan. 2026
This collection represents his earnest and thrilling mission to efface the line between poetry and prose, to introduce us to the possibility that each is affirmed and made complete by the other.
—Emma Alpern, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
Has any country been quite so successful in effacing a people through the ubiquity of their representation on stamps, in schoolboy games and on billboards for tourist destinations along Route 66?
—Andrew Moore, New York Times, 15 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for efface
Recent Examples of Synonyms for efface
Verb
-
Another White 3-pointer — his fourth of the half — erased the Suns’ double-digit lead.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
25 Feb. 2026
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Smartphone makers have over the years gradually infused software with more AI tools—like the ability to search for something just by circling it on screen or erasing unwanted objects from photos.—
Lisa Eadicicco,
CNN Money,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Applying herbicides is the most effective way to eradicate honeysuckle, but natural methods work if done correctly.—
Lee Wallender,
The Spruce,
19 Feb. 2026
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Yet Aii has struggled to achieve more than a handful of percentage points of its goal of eradicating 100 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions by the decade’s end.—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Sourcing Journal,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
And a 2025 Gallup poll suggests more than half of Americans are ready to abolish DST as well.—
Korin Miller,
SELF,
25 Feb. 2026
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The 55 mph limit was effectively phased out in 1987; federal speed limits were abolished in 1995.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Efface.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/efface. Accessed 1 Mar. 2026.
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