as in to erase
to destroy all traces of
when the supply ship finally arrived, it discovered that virtually all evidence of the colony at Roanoke had been effaced
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Recent Examples of efface
The leaps in time have the eerie effect of effacing time—the layered succession of images implying their simultaneity in Lidia’s mind.
—
Richard Brody, New Yorker, 13 Jan. 2026
This collection represents his earnest and thrilling mission to efface the line between poetry and prose, to introduce us to the possibility that each is affirmed and made complete by the other.
—Emma Alpern, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
The road not taken—and now rediscovered by Orozco—is the reintroduction of the ancient Marxist concept of use value,the dialectical opposite of exchange value, and, more recently, also the sole form of resisting exhibition value, which has totally effaced the concepts of material use and function.
—Benjamin H. D. Buchloh, Artforum, 1 June 2025
Has any country been quite so successful in effacing a people through the ubiquity of their representation on stamps, in schoolboy games and on billboards for tourist destinations along Route 66?
—Andrew Moore, New York Times, 15 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for efface
Richard Brody, New Yorker, 13 Jan. 2026
This collection represents his earnest and thrilling mission to efface the line between poetry and prose, to introduce us to the possibility that each is affirmed and made complete by the other.
—Emma Alpern, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
The road not taken—and now rediscovered by Orozco—is the reintroduction of the ancient Marxist concept of use value,the dialectical opposite of exchange value, and, more recently, also the sole form of resisting exhibition value, which has totally effaced the concepts of material use and function.
—Benjamin H. D. Buchloh, Artforum, 1 June 2025
Has any country been quite so successful in effacing a people through the ubiquity of their representation on stamps, in schoolboy games and on billboards for tourist destinations along Route 66?
—Andrew Moore, New York Times, 15 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for efface
Recent Examples of Synonyms for efface
Verb
-
In Josh Safdie’s feverish ping-pong epic, Marty (Timothée Chalamet) breaks from his benefactor, pen tycoon Milton Rockwell (Kevin O’Leary), risking everything to erase an old defeat.—
Daron James,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
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There are still many in this country who value truth, who believe that history should be preserved and not erased, who understand that constitutional rights should not be swept away to suit the whims of a megalomaniac, and who refuse to wallow in ignorance and hate.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The outbreaks have mostly impacted children and have come as infectious disease experts warn that rising public distrust of vaccines generally may be contributing to the spread of a disease once declared eradicated by public health officials.—
Matt Brown,
Fortune,
10 Feb. 2026
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The outbreaks have mostly affected children and have come as infectious disease experts warn that rising public distrust of vaccines generally may be contributing to the spread of a disease once declared eradicated by public health officials.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Hindley, Catherine’s elder brother, is abolished entirely — his vices reassigned to the father.—
Ana Gutierrez,
Austin American Statesman,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Nexstar is seeking a waiver from the FCC from the 39% cap, while the agency is considering whether to raise that threshold or abolish it altogether.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Efface.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/efface. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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