EXPUNGE Synonyms: 88 Similar and Opposite Words

expunge

verb

ik-ˈspənj

Definition of expunge

as in to erase

to destroy all traces of time and the weather have expunged any evidence that a thriving community once existed here

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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 expunge York had already filed a request to have the charges expunged Monday. — Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2026 Hickerson petitioned the court to reduce his felony domestic violence convictions to misdemeanors and to expunge the case from his record. — Angeline Jane Bernabe, ABC News, 20 Aug. 2026 Still, very much despite herself, Cusk has not succeeded in expunging character from her work. — Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2026 In the early 20th century, a massive national mosquito-eradication effort, which led to the CDC’s creation, ultimately expunged the disease from the country. — Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, 3 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for expunge

Recent Examples of Synonyms for expunge

Verb

These benefits and opportunities are currently under threat of being dismantled and erased by Belgium’s current right-wing government.

— Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 11 Sep. 2026
And many may be counting on the step-up in basis after death to erase the tax.

— Robert Frank, CNBC, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of erase

Verb

The team has eradicated every invasive casuarina pine, the Australian import whose needles poison the native plants beneath it, along with invasive sea grapes that chew up the dunes.

— Sydney Lake, Fortune, 10 Sep. 2026
Screwworm had been considered eradicated from the US, Mexico and most of Central America decades ago.

— Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 7 Sep. 2026

Definition of eradicate

Verb

Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton is vowing to abolish California’s DMV and cap annual vehicle registration at $73, framing the proposal as a strike against soaring living costs.

— Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026
Karishma Manzur, a medical scientist and first-time candidate, supported Medicare for All and abolishing ICE while declining money from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC.

— Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of abolish

Verb

After Israel destroyed Jenin refugee camp during the Second Intifada in 2002, a young girl looked into Mohammad Bakri’s camera and said that Palestinians would live proudly as eagles and die standing like lions.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2026
That’s because key refineries that produce it have been knocked offline or destroyed, both in Eastern Europe — where the Ukraine-Russia war still rages — and in the Middle East.

— Steve Kopack, NBC news, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of destroy

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expulsions

expunge

expunged

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“Expunge.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/expunge. Accessed 14 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of expunge

verb

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