erased; erasing; erases
1
a
: to rub or scrape out (something, such as written, painted, or engraved letters)
erase an error
b
: to remove written or drawn marks from
erase a blackboard
c
: to remove (recorded matter) from a magnetic medium (such as magnetic tape)
also
: to remove recorded matter from
erase a hard drive
d
: to delete from computer storage
erase a file
2
a
: to remove from existence or memory as if by erasing
b
: to nullify the effect or force of
: to yield to erasure
Synonyms
Examples of erase in a Sentence
The recording can be erased and the tape used again.
Several important files were accidentally erased.
You can erase the tape and use it again.
She erased the wrong answer from her paper and filled in the correct one.
I erased the chalk marks from the blackboard.
Recent Examples on the Web
Those odds dropped slowly with each game Ovechkin missed due to a fractured left fibula until all progress from his hot streak was erased.
—
Dom Luszczyszyn, The Athletic, 7 Feb. 2025
That’s surrender — to the idea that this is a zero-sum war where one side must be erased for the other to survive.
—Hen Mazzig, Sun Sentinel, 6 Feb. 2025
Here’s the bad news: President Donald Trump’s tariffs on China could erase that progress.
—Dylan Scott, Vox, 5 Feb. 2025
The latest: The supplemental budget package that debuted this week would add more than half a million dollars into the program to erase the existing deficit and cover 35% of the cost.
—John Frank, Axios, 4 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for erase 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Dom Luszczyszyn, The Athletic, 7 Feb. 2025
That’s surrender — to the idea that this is a zero-sum war where one side must be erased for the other to survive.
—Hen Mazzig, Sun Sentinel, 6 Feb. 2025
Here’s the bad news: President Donald Trump’s tariffs on China could erase that progress.
—Dylan Scott, Vox, 5 Feb. 2025
The latest: The supplemental budget package that debuted this week would add more than half a million dollars into the program to erase the existing deficit and cover 35% of the cost.
—John Frank, Axios, 4 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for erase
Dictionary Entries Near erase
Cite this Entry
“Erase.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/erase. Accessed 13 Feb. 2025.
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erase
verb
erased; erasing
1
a
: to rub out (as something written)
b
: to remove written or drawn marks from
erase a chalkboard
c
: to remove recorded matter from
erase a videotape
d
: to delete from a computer storage device
erase a file
2
: to remove as if by erasing
erase an event from one's memory
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