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
Each offers a lesson for tomorrow’s leaders who want to leverage this technology without effacing the human touch.
—
Michael Ashley, Forbes.com, 20 Feb. 2026
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
Too many passages elsewhere live in a prose flat as freshly milled oak planks:
Those traces of my youth
Were not effaced by the momentum of the seasons
Only.
—William Logan, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for efface
Michael Ashley, Forbes.com, 20 Feb. 2026
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
Too many passages elsewhere live in a prose flat as freshly milled oak planks:
Those traces of my youth
Were not effaced by the momentum of the seasons
Only.
—William Logan, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for efface
Recent Examples of Synonyms for efface
Verb
-
Just his ability to erase mistakes is extremely impressive where guys drive in the paint and see him and turn around and dribble out.—
Josh Robbins,
New York Times,
6 May 2026
-
Satellite imagery reveals that in the weeks following the attack on the Abu Naser family building, more Israeli bombing nearly erased the rest of the neighborhood.—
Anas Baba,
NPR,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
What’s worse, these wood-destroying insects can be hard to spot and are famously challenging to eradicate.—
Dan Simms,
USA Today,
12 May 2026
-
Teammates don’t want Rushing to eradicate his competitiveness.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
Dreaded by some, dodged by others, and abolished by at least one executive entirely, quarterly earnings calls remain must-listen rituals for Wall Street and the business press, but not for most consumers or even rank‑and‑file employees.—
Rachel Ventresca,
Fortune,
6 May 2026
-
Its refusal to abolish slavery placed it in a small club of holdouts, with Cuba and Brazil.—
Daniel Immerwahr,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Efface.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/efface. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
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