erase

play

verb \ i-ˈrās , British -ˈrāz \

Definition of erase

erased; erasing

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; also :to remove recorded matter from

erase a videotape

d :to delete from a computer storage device

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

play \i-ˌrā-sə-ˈbi-lə-tē\ noun

—

erasable

play \i-ˈrā-sə-bəl\ adjective

See erase defined for English-language learners

See erase defined for kids

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 of erase from the Web

But to say reporters erase America’s heritage, don’t love America, turn off cameras to hide truth, are to blame for racial tension, is just plain wrong.

— jim rutenberg, New York Times, "Trump Takes Aim at the Press, With a Flamethrower," 23 Aug. 2017
Stuck Dear Stuck, There is only one way to handle this: Erase this spinning top of a man from your mind.

— heather havrilesky, The Cut, "‘I’m Obsessed With the Co-worker I Hooked Up With!’," 23 Aug. 2017
All the photos on her social profiles, including her Facebook and Twitter avatars, as well as her entire Instagram, have been completely blacked out and erased.

— kara nesvig, Teen Vogue, "Taylor Swift Just DELETED All Her Photos on Social Media," 18 Aug. 2017
Brooklyn erased the 4-3 deficit with three runs in the fifth.

— randy mcroberts, The Aegis, "IronBirds find win column with Sunday walk-off over Brooklyn," 31 July 2017
Because, to be perfectly frank, aside from storming around screaming about the unjustness of everything and trying to erase the legislative landmarks of his betters, the president doesn’t appear to be doing a whole lot.

— graydon carter, vanityfair.com, "Donald Trump’s High-Risk, Low-Energy Nightmare," 26 July 2017
Royals 7, White Sox 6 The walk-off moment: After the Royals erased a 5-1 deficit earlier in the game, Whit Merrifield launched a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded against reliever Tyler Clippard, scoring Escobar in the bottom of the ninth.

— rustin dodd, kansascity, "A closer look at the Royals’ four walk-off victories in eight days," 23 July 2017
Norberto Galiotti, the cigar-smoking secretary of Rosario’s Communist Party, regards the foundation’s campaign as a part of a pernicious effort to erase Che from history, led by the country’s centre-right president, Mauricio Macri.

— The Economist, "Challenging the cult of Che Guevara," 20 July 2017
NEW YORK (AP) — Republicans are expressing embarrassment, fear and frustration as party leaders concede that their years-long promise to erase much of Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act is all but dead.

— thomas beaumont, The Seattle Times, "Republicans express frustration after health care failure," 19 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'erase.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of erase

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

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First Known Use: 1605

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erase Synonyms

ERASE Defined for English Language Learners

erase

play

verb

Definition of erase for English Language Learners

: to remove (something that has been recorded) from a tape (such as a videotape or audiotape) or a computer disk; also : to remove recorded material from (a tape or disk)
: to remove (something written) by rubbing or scraping so that it can no longer be seen
: to remove something written from (a surface)