Synonyms of expunge

expunge

verb

ik-ˈspənj 

as in to erase

to destroy all traces of

time and the weather have expunged any evidence that a thriving community once existed here

Synonyms & Similar Words

• erase
• eradicate
• abolish
• destroy
• obliterate
• efface
• exterminate
• annihilate
• cancel
• liquidate
• extirpate
• wipe out
• sweep (away)
• demolish
• shatter
• clean (up)
• stamp (out)
• blot out
• kill
• dismantle
• discard
• ruin
• root (out)
• snuff (out)
• rub out
• consume
• black out
• devastate
• flatten
• ravage
• decimate
• dissolve
• expel
• wreck
• fragment
• waste
• tear down
• eject
• mow (down)
• smash
• devour
• finish
• raze
• terminate
• powder
• total
• dash
• excise
• oust
• kill off
• blow up
• jettison
• pulverize
• atomize
• ditch
• doom
• blast
• zap
• throw out
• cut
• dynamite
• splinter

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• preserve
• protect
• save
• conserve
• create
• build
• make
• construct
• form
• manufacture
• shape
• restore
• fabricate
• forge
• reconstruct
• renew
• frame
• rebuild
• repair
• fix
• patch
• fashion
• mend
• renovate
• recondition
• revamp

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of expunge

How ‘Clean Slate’ laws work States have a legal process in which people can petition the courts to seal or expunge old arrests or convictions, depending on the seriousness of the offense and after a certain period of time. — Eric Levenson, CNN Money, 30 May 2026

In addition to activities, teens will have access to resources such as job training, housing information, and support with expunging criminal records. — Hannah McIlree, CBS News, 12 May 2026

Most distressingly to protesters, there is no way to request the DNA samples’ destruction, and the process to get DNA profiles expunged from the database comes with extra costs and could take as long as five years. — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 7 May 2026

Someone with a conviction expunged can legally say they have never been convicted of the crime that was removed from their record. — Katherine Gregg, The Providence Journal, 6 May 2026

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