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tr.v. e·rased, e·ras·ing, e·ras·es 1. a. To remove (something written, for example) by rubbing, wiping, or scraping. b. To remove (recorded material) from a magnetic tape or other storage medium: erased a file from the hard drive. c. To remove recorded material from (a magnetic tape or disk, for example): erased the DVD. 2. To remove all traces of; eliminate or obliterate: had to erase all thoughts of failure from his mind. [Latin ērādere, ērās-, to scratch out : ē-, ex-, ex- + rādere, to scrape; see rēd- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] Synonyms: erase, expunge, delete, cancel These verbs mean to remove or invalidate something, especially something stored, recorded, or written down. To erase is to wipe or rub out, literally or figuratively: erased the word from the blackboard; erased any hope of success. Expunge implies thorough removal: a performance that expunged doubts about his ability. To delete is to remove matter from a manuscript or data from a computer application: deleted expletives from the transcript; deleted the file with one keystroke. Cancel refers to invalidating by or as if by drawing lines through something written: canceled the postage stamp; canceled the reservation. |
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