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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of efface
The bonds of mutual political awakening—the sort of togetherness that was once routine, if uneasy, for Firestone—are completely effaced.
—
Audrey Wollen, Harpers Magazine, 28 Mar. 2025
By killing animals for exhibition and subduing their bodies in such tableaux, taxidermy celebrates the subjugation of nature and colonial exploitation, all while effacing the African labor undergirding some dioramas, as with the mountain gorilla scene.
—The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 13 Mar. 2025
The Eaton and Palisades fires effaced entire communities, destroyed thousands of homes and left more than two dozen dead.
—Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2025
The white exterior peered at me with flat orifices obscured through the mist, barely distinguishable from the dark sky behind it, as though all the world beyond the dome was cut from the same slab, only slightly effaced.
—Jem Aswad, Variety, 1 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for efface
Audrey Wollen, Harpers Magazine, 28 Mar. 2025
By killing animals for exhibition and subduing their bodies in such tableaux, taxidermy celebrates the subjugation of nature and colonial exploitation, all while effacing the African labor undergirding some dioramas, as with the mountain gorilla scene.
—The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 13 Mar. 2025
The Eaton and Palisades fires effaced entire communities, destroyed thousands of homes and left more than two dozen dead.
—Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2025
The white exterior peered at me with flat orifices obscured through the mist, barely distinguishable from the dark sky behind it, as though all the world beyond the dome was cut from the same slab, only slightly effaced.
—Jem Aswad, Variety, 1 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for efface
Recent Examples of Synonyms for efface
Verb
-
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
Verb
-
The fest was especially significant this year — the 50th anniversary of resettlement in the U.S. by refugees emanating from the Vietnam War, the Secret War in Laos and the Khmer Rouge genocide in Cambodia that attempted to eradicate artists, intellectuals and cultural bearers from society.—
Jia H. Jung,
Mercury News,
11 July 2025
-
Measles was eradicated in the United States 25 years ago.—
Taylor Wilson,
USA Today,
10 July 2025
Verb
-
While Minnesota abolished the death penalty over a century ago, the federal murder charges carry a maximum penalty of capital punishment.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
9 July 2025
-
Minnesota abolished its state death penalty in 1911.—
Steve Karnowski,
Los Angeles Times,
8 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Efface.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/efface. Accessed 20 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share