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
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
The district attorney’s office dismissed Bennett’s charge, Dougherty said, and records related to her case were expunged per Colorado law – including the original police report.
—Holly Yan, CNN Money, 5 Apr. 2026
There is a process for requesting to have your DNA expunged from CODIS, according to the FBI, but Glaberson, coauthor of the report, said very few people appear to have successfully done so, meaning their DNA will likely remain there in perpetuity.
—N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 24 Mar. 2026
In September, roughly a month after Kansas City received the federal subpoena for records related to Washington, the nonprofit leader filed petitions in both state and federal courts to have his criminal records expunged.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 24 Mar. 2026
Hardin went on to work for the Precinct 4 constable's office and has since had his criminal case expunged.
—Nicole Hensley, Houston Chronicle, 20 Mar. 2026
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
Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 7 May 2026
The district attorney’s office dismissed Bennett’s charge, Dougherty said, and records related to her case were expunged per Colorado law – including the original police report.
—Holly Yan, CNN Money, 5 Apr. 2026
There is a process for requesting to have your DNA expunged from CODIS, according to the FBI, but Glaberson, coauthor of the report, said very few people appear to have successfully done so, meaning their DNA will likely remain there in perpetuity.
—N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 24 Mar. 2026
In September, roughly a month after Kansas City received the federal subpoena for records related to Washington, the nonprofit leader filed petitions in both state and federal courts to have his criminal records expunged.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 24 Mar. 2026
Hardin went on to work for the Precinct 4 constable's office and has since had his criminal case expunged.
—Nicole Hensley, Houston Chronicle, 20 Mar. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for expunged
Verb
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Jalen Brunson scored 30 points, Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds, and the Knicks erased a 14-point second-half deficit to beat the San Antonio Spurs 105-95 in Game 1 on Wednesday night.—
Tim Reynolds,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026
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Its history, however, must not be erased.—
Eric Schlosser,
The Atlantic,
4 June 2026
Verb
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The New World screwworm had been declared eradicated in the US decades ago, thanks to efforts such as the breeding of sterile flies, awareness campaigns and efforts to control the pest in foreign countries.—
Jen Christensen,
CNN Money,
4 June 2026
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With this method, called Sterile Insect Technique, the flies were eradicated not just from the US, but from all of Central America.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
3 June 2026
Verb
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More people know about the kafala system, which exploited the migrant workers who built the infrastructure for the 2022 World Cup; this was technically abolished in 2017, but workers’ rights issues there remain.—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
30 May 2026
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Code Noir became toothless when France abolished slavery in 1848, but no one ever formally struck it from the books.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 May 2026
Verb
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Russian air defenses intercepted and destroyed more than 350 Ukrainian drones over territories both close to the border but also as further afield as Moscow, St Petersburg, and Novgorod in the country’s west, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
3 June 2026
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Twelve people were killed, including two young boys, in the southeastern city of Dnipro, where a four-story apartment building was partially destroyed, local officials said.—
Valentyn Ogirenko,
USA Today,
2 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Expunged.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/expunged. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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