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Glite Dictionary
🧠 To remove completely 🗑️ To delete
to erase

to erase

144 1.6
Remove marks, writing, or digital files so they are no longer visible
  • verb
  • /ɪˈreɪz/
translation icon : borrar
  • If you make a mistake while drawing, you can erase it with an eraser.
  • erase files
  • write and erase
  • erase a block

So that's going to erase this Gray area here.

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Examples

  • OK, warning, this device will erase the contents of any disk detected.

  • Yeah, we should probably erase that tape.

    North of the 10 (2022)

  • Yeah, I think we can erase the example here.

  • So just get in there and just erase your extra lines.

  • So let me erase this and start over again.

  • I can erase my mistake.

    Killer Waves 2 (2020)

  • So let's go ahead and erase all of these steps.

  • When they have finished, students may save, edit, or erase their musical attempts.

    Academic text (1995)

  • I erased the last message.

    The Night Listener (2006)

  • Once the card is full, the entire contents must be erased explicitly at one time.

    Academic text (1995)

Synonyms

to destroy
vsto erase
∞ 1.0

Damage something so badly that it cannot be used or fixed

is the usual notion that focuses on visibility or accessibility rather than physical ruin
to remove
vsto erase
∞ 1.5

To move something or someone away from a place

is the narrower sense focused on deleting marks writing or data visibility
to eliminate
vsto erase
  • NSFW
502 3.4

Remove or kill something completely so it is gone

is usually narrower focusing on making things invisible or inaccessible
to wipe
vsto erase
  • Specialized
308 3.6

To erase all data on a computer or phone so it cannot be recovered

is the general action not limited to devices or permanent deletion
to delete
vsto erase
287 2.0

To remove information like text or files so it cannot be seen

is the general term covering marks writing and digital data removal
to wipe out
vsto erase
189 4.2

Destroy something so nothing is left

is the general word that can be less violent or total
to obliterate
vsto erase
71 7.5

To destroy something completely so nothing remains

is the standard term which can cover gentler or partial clearing too
to purge
vsto erase
49 6.3

To remove unwanted substances, things, or people by cleaning

is the general term often used for making something invisible or inaccessible
to wipe away
vsto erase
28 2.0

To remove something from a surface by moving a cloth over it, like tears or dirt

is the general action that also covers digital and irreversible removal
to clear
vsto erase
  • Specialized
24 4.9

To remove stored information from a device

is the wider term covering removal of marks or data in many contexts
to expunge
vsto erase
21 8.8

To remove all signs of something like a record or memory so it cannot be found

is broader and used for any removal not only objectionable items
to wipe off
vsto erase
20 1.0

Remove dirt or marks from a surface by rubbing with a cloth

is the wider term that also covers non surface or data removal
to sweep away
vsto erase
16 3.8

To get rid of something completely so it no longer exists

is the regular term that can mean simple visible removal instead
to excise
vsto erase
  • Formal
14 7.2

To cut out part of a body or text

is the general word that can use gentle removal not physical cutting
to blot out
vsto erase
8 5.4

Hide something so you cannot see it or remember it

is the general action that also includes permanent removal not only concealment
to overwrite
vsto erase
  • Specialized
5 5.3

To write new data in a file so the old data is lost

is the general action that can include deletion without replacement
to efface
vsto erase
2 8.1

To remove something so it is no longer visible or remembered

is the neutral general term not always implying total disappearance
to rub out
vsto erase
1 4.3

Erase a mark by using an eraser or cloth until it disappears

is the broader action that can use any method not only friction
to blank out
vsto erase
  • Literature
1 6.4

To remove words or other information from a document to hide them

is the standard term that covers pure deletion rather than only hiding
to del
vsto erase
  • Informal
8.4

To remove something from a computer, especially files or text

is the neutral standard form used in general contexts and writing
to unwrite
vsto erase
9.7

To remove text from paper or a screen

is the general action that also covers non written markings and files
blotted out
vsto erase
7.4

Completely covered or removed so nothing remains

is the general action that also covers partial or simpler removal
to score out
vsto erase
  • UK
5.2

To draw a line through written words to show they are wrong

is the general action that can include total deletion not only striking through

Antonyms

to add
∞ 1.0

Include something extra to make something larger or better

to record
762 2.3

To make a written, audio, or video copy of something for later use

to insert
208 3.5

To put something inside something else

How Erased

to obliterate
71 7.5
to erase
144 1.6
to delete
287 2.0
to wipe
531 1.0
to fade
531 1.2

Surface Forms

erase infinitive
erased past
erased past participle
erasing present participle
erases third person singular

Etymology

The word erase comes from an old Latin root radere meaning 'to scrape', and is related to English words like razor and raze. So to erase a mark or a file is like 'scraping it away' until it is gone.