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

Have you been arrested, charged or convicted of a crime, had an adjudication withheld, or had a matter sealed or expunged? — José Javier Rodríguez, Sun Sentinel, 11 Sep. 2026

Next month, people with certain criminal convictions will have the chance to get their records expunged or sealed, as Cook County hosts its annual Second Chance Summit. — Adam Harrington, CBS News, 8 Sep. 2026

The miniseries is only three hours long, so Wallace had to heavily truncate King’s gargantuan tome, curtailing and expunging scenes and entire characters, as well as toning things down to fit broadcast rules. — Literary Hub, 28 Aug. 2026

Despite the reforms that resulted from the Shield Club and the Women’s Law Fund cases, Gayle was still put through a series of tests, during which she could still be expunged. — Wilbert L. Cooper, Longreads, 25 Aug. 2026

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