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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Recent Examples of expunge
There is even evidence in Emily’s letters to Austin that someone, probably Loomis Todd, sought to expunge affectionate references to Susan.
—
Via Chronicle Books, Literary Hub, 11 Dec. 2025
Likewise, any major creator of AI models unwittingly instills biases in its chatbots that are then difficult to expunge.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 21 Nov. 2025
During his time in Tallahassee, Hardemon championed measures to expunge criminal records for certain offenses.
—Miami Herald, 15 Nov. 2025
Eventually the convictions were reduced to misdemeanors and expunged.
—Ray Sanchez, CNN Money, 2 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for expunge
Via Chronicle Books, Literary Hub, 11 Dec. 2025
Likewise, any major creator of AI models unwittingly instills biases in its chatbots that are then difficult to expunge.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 21 Nov. 2025
During his time in Tallahassee, Hardemon championed measures to expunge criminal records for certain offenses.
—Miami Herald, 15 Nov. 2025
Eventually the convictions were reduced to misdemeanors and expunged.
—Ray Sanchez, CNN Money, 2 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for expunge
Recent Examples of Synonyms for expunge
Verb
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But while leading with three laps to go, a caution erased his advantage and Kyle Larson jumped ahead of him during a sequence of pit stops and a restart to win the championship instead.—
Jeff Gluck,
New York Times,
4 Feb. 2026
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Hank activates the device, erasing his personality from the world and becoming part of something bigger.—
Barry Levitt,
Time,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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California wildlife officials have approved a plan to eradicate Catalina’s entire deer population as part of a broader effort to restore the island ecosystem, sparking fierce opposition from an unusual coalition of hunters and animal welfare advocates.—
Lila Seidman,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Feb. 2026
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To date, the only other human disease ever eradicated was the virus that caused smallpox.—
Theresa Gaffney,
STAT,
2 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Some of the loudest calls to abolish ICE have come from Gen Z and millennial candidates, many of whom have sought to frame their bids around a larger rejection of Democratic Party norms.—
Elena Moore,
NPR,
4 Feb. 2026
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Under his proposal, the position of prime minister would be abolished and the duties of the role absorbed into the office of the president.—
Kaya Genç,
The Dial,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
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But when a man from Anne’s past returns from war, a curse begins to take shape through a mysterious knight and threatens to destroy them all.—
Jessica Radloff,
Glamour,
1 Feb. 2026
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Plenty of plants were destroyed in the Eaton and Palisades fires, of course, especially highly flammable shrubs like tall, skinny arborvitae.—
Jeanette Marantos,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Expunge.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/expunge. Accessed 8 Feb. 2026.
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