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
The road not taken—and now rediscovered by Orozco—is the reintroduction of the ancient Marxist concept of use value,the dialectical opposite of exchange value, and, more recently, also the sole form of resisting exhibition value, which has totally effaced the concepts of material use and function.
—Benjamin H. D. Buchloh, Artforum, 1 June 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
The road not taken—and now rediscovered by Orozco—is the reintroduction of the ancient Marxist concept of use value,the dialectical opposite of exchange value, and, more recently, also the sole form of resisting exhibition value, which has totally effaced the concepts of material use and function.
—Benjamin H. D. Buchloh, Artforum, 1 June 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
-
Therefore, telling the story in graphic form on behalf of Ukrainians themselves, explaining the preconditions for Russia’s attempts to erase Ukraine as a sovereign country and Ukrainians as an ethnic group, became extremely relevant.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
-
The Clippers erased a second double-digit deficit behind a 14-3 run to open the second quarter and took a 33-31 lead on Leonard’s pull-up jumper.—
Oc Register,
Oc Register,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Foege, a key player in the global effort to eradicate smallpox, was stationed by the CDC in India in the early 1970s, helping that country with the gargantuan challenge of stopping spread of this horrible disease within its borders.—
Helen Branswell,
STAT,
25 Jan. 2026
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At the same time, the nation is seeing an increase in some diseases once considered eradicated here, particularly measles.—
Mike Danahey,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
More than half of independents now approve of abolishing ICE, once a rallying cry of progressives.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Video footage shows Omar was calling for abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement and for Homeland Security Kristi Noem to resign when the suspect jumped in front of her and sprayed the liquid on her shirt.—
Philip Wang,
Time,
28 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Efface.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/efface. Accessed 3 Feb. 2026.
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