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
Forty-five people were expunged with their criminal records because of the Soul Kitchen.
—
Jeff Nelson,
PEOPLE,
18 June 2026
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
Jeff Nelson,
PEOPLE,
18 June 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for expunged
Verb
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The equalizing goal erased Sane’s early sting, which didn’t come without controversy.
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By the time the boundary issues were partially corrected in the 1960s, both the cemetery and the surrounding Black community had been largely erased from public memory.
Verb
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Decades after a deadly virus known as GRID was said to have eradicated homosexuality, a suburban family’s pristine life unravels the day their teenage son starts to uncover the truth.
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Health officials are warning that the New World screwworm, a flesh-eating parasite once thought eradicated from the US, has resurfaced and is threatening cattle, wildlife and pets.
Verb
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In 1865, more than eight decades after Elizabeth Freeman defeated slavery in Massachusetts, the practice was finally abolished throughout the United States, though only after a civil war that cleaved the young nation and cost more than 600,000 lives.
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Every fifty years, all debt was abolished.
Verb
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The second inferno killed 12 people, destroyed 6,500 structures across the Palisades and Malibu and cost billions in damage and insurance claims.
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In Paradise, California, a community destroyed by wildfire adopted the ‘Wildfire Prepared Home Standard’ as its mandatory rebuilding benchmark.
Cite this Entry
“Expunged.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/expunged. Accessed 28 Jun. 2026.
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