as in erasing
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 effacing
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
Richard Brody, New Yorker, 13 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for effacing
Verb
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These services do all the work for you by actively monitoring and systematically erasing your personal information from hundreds of websites.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
31 Jan. 2026
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In erasing these concepts, or transforming them into meaningless slogans, the recent right-wing campaign of educational suppression seeks to eliminate an important means of understanding Black history.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Washington’s cut to funding for a global vaccine alliance could undo decades of progress in the fight against malaria, just as several African nations approach eradicating the disease.—
Jeronimo Gonzalez,
semafor.com,
30 Jan. 2026
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The country built some of the world’s most futuristic highways and was early in eradicating malaria.—
The Atlantic,
The Atlantic,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In the wake of the fatal shootings of American citizens Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti by federal immigration officers during operations on the streets of Minneapolis, a recent YouGov poll shows that more Americans support abolishing ICE than those opposed.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Jan. 2026
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Video footage shows Omar at the town hall, calling for abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement and for Homeland Security Kristi Noem to resign when a man jumps in front of her and sprays liquid from a syringe on her shirt.—
Boston Herald editorial staff,
Boston Herald,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Modesto Fire Department Firefighters quickly contained and extinguished the fire, preventing it from destroying the home, officials said.—
Richard Ramos,
CBS News,
30 Jan. 2026
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By the way, the last scene of The Conversation has the paranoid Gene Hackman destroying his apartment in a desperate and futile search for listening devices.—
Rose Horowitch,
The Atlantic,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Effacing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/effacing. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
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