erase

verb

i-ˈrās 

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

i-ˌrā-sə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

erasable

i-ˈrā-sə-bəl 

adjective

Synonyms of erase

• eradicate
• abolish
• destroy

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

Protesters flocked to him to erase the names and replace them with hearts. — Arkansas Online, 20 Sep. 2026

The high of a 3-0 lead — with two incredible goals scored by André Luiz — was erased by a 10-minute stretch that looked and felt all too familiar. — Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 20 Sep. 2026

Schwartz, the third head of the Axios trifecta and an unlikely near-20-year veteran of journalism, said the real breakthrough for him wasn’t the phrase itself but the guilt it’s designed to erase. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 20 Sep. 2026

Sullivan discussed the state’s history of LGBTQ+ people and organizations and how much of that history has been intentionally erased, according to The Alabama Reflector. — Charlotte Observer, 19 Sep. 2026

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

Phrases Containing erase

• dry-erase board

Rhymes for erase

• abase
• airspace
• apace
• backspace
• biface
• birthplace
• blackface
• boldface
• bookcase
• braincase
• briefcase
• carcase

Kids Definition

erase

verb

i-ˈrās 

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

-ˌrā-sə-ˈbil-ə-tē 

noun

erasable

-ˈrā-sə-bəl 

adjective

Legal Definition

erase

transitive verb

erased; erasing

: to seal and protect (criminal records) from disclosure