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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Kurt's key takeaways The AI tattoo machine isn't here to erase tradition. Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 14 July 2025 And the push to exclude non-citizens from the next count is unconstitutional, deeply un-American and designed to erase entire communities. Genesis Robinson, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 July 2025 Bryan Singer’s franchise revival serves as a legacy sequel to Superman II, essentially erasing III and IV from official canon. Will Harris, EW.com, 11 July 2025 As if magically, to erase, the user just shakes the drawing board. Aurora Martínez, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for erase

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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Erase.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/erase. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.

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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