as in erased
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 expunged
One person's success Eliana, a program participant, said the most rewarding part was staying sober and having her felonies expunged.
—
Claire Osborn, Austin American Statesman, 28 Feb. 2026
Unusual efforts to clear records A felony charge against a CPD officer — even one stemming from an off-duty incident — is relatively uncommon, and recent efforts by other former officers to have their criminal charges expunged have led to mixed results.
—Sam Charles, Chicago Tribune, 26 Feb. 2026
According to Jefferson County Circuit Court records, Soto-Pantoja is part of a pretrial diversion program that allows for a criminal case to be expunged after five years of law-abiding behavior, including paying fees and passing drug tests, Mascagni said.
—Lillian Metzmeier, Louisville Courier Journal, 19 Feb. 2026
In 2021, Colvin successfully petitioned to have her juvenile arrest record expunged.
—The Week Uk, TheWeek, 24 Jan. 2026
Rinehart said that any charges related to those and other incidents may have been sealed or expunged.
—Kevin Grasha, Cincinnati Enquirer, 12 Dec. 2025
The convictions were ultimately reduced to misdemeanors and expunged in 2022, the court document said.
—Ray Sanchez, CNN Money, 2 Nov. 2025
That inevitably puts some people at a disadvantage and makes getting a conviction record expunged even more important.
—Joanna Hernandez, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Oct. 2025
Just as the geographical Palestinian homeland must be seized by Zionist forces, all resistance quelled and all Indigenous Palestinians ultimately expelled and silenced forever, so too must any and all electronic trace of support for Palestinian freedom be expunged from the database.
—Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2025
Claire Osborn, Austin American Statesman, 28 Feb. 2026
Unusual efforts to clear records A felony charge against a CPD officer — even one stemming from an off-duty incident — is relatively uncommon, and recent efforts by other former officers to have their criminal charges expunged have led to mixed results.
—Sam Charles, Chicago Tribune, 26 Feb. 2026
According to Jefferson County Circuit Court records, Soto-Pantoja is part of a pretrial diversion program that allows for a criminal case to be expunged after five years of law-abiding behavior, including paying fees and passing drug tests, Mascagni said.
—Lillian Metzmeier, Louisville Courier Journal, 19 Feb. 2026
In 2021, Colvin successfully petitioned to have her juvenile arrest record expunged.
—The Week Uk, TheWeek, 24 Jan. 2026
Rinehart said that any charges related to those and other incidents may have been sealed or expunged.
—Kevin Grasha, Cincinnati Enquirer, 12 Dec. 2025
The convictions were ultimately reduced to misdemeanors and expunged in 2022, the court document said.
—Ray Sanchez, CNN Money, 2 Nov. 2025
That inevitably puts some people at a disadvantage and makes getting a conviction record expunged even more important.
—Joanna Hernandez, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Oct. 2025
Just as the geographical Palestinian homeland must be seized by Zionist forces, all resistance quelled and all Indigenous Palestinians ultimately expelled and silenced forever, so too must any and all electronic trace of support for Palestinian freedom be expunged from the database.
—Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for expunged
Verb
-
The Islanders had erased 2-0 deficits in each of their last three wins, but the Ducks kept them off the board in part by killing three penalties in the second period.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Mar. 2026
-
The Tigers erased an 11-point halftime deficit in the third quarter, knotting the contest at 33-33 before running out of gas — just as Bama was mashing the pedal to the floor.—
The Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
However, the number of organisms eradicated and the types of organisms differ.—
Caroline Lubinsky,
Martha Stewart,
5 Mar. 2026
-
And finally, externally, impacts from objects passing through our inner Solar System could wipe all of humanity out, just as so much terrestrial life was eradicated 65 million years ago.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Political instability has repeatedly shaken Nepal since the monarchy was abolished in 2008.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 Mar. 2026
-
The British Parliament outlawed slave trafficking in 1807, abolished slavery outright in 1833, and then compensated slaveholders.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The United States destroyed a key Iranian naval base in the Straight of Hormuz, sinking many vessels present, as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced the shipping lane was officially closed.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Aircraft shelters at the air base to the north of the complex also appear to be damaged or destroyed.—
Victoria Beaule,
ABC News,
3 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Expunged.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/expunged. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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