e·rase
(ĭ-rāś)
[Latin ērādere, ērās-, to scratch out, ē-, ex-, ex-, + rādere, to scrape.]
transitive verb: e·rased, e·ras·ing, e·ras·es.
- To remove (something written, for example) by rubbing, wiping, or scraping.
- To remove (recorded material) from a magnetic tape or other storage medium: erased a file from the diskette.
- To remove recorded material from (a magnetic tape or disk, for example): erased the videocassette.
- To remove all traces of.
- To remove or destroy as if by wiping out: had to erase all thoughts of failure from his mind.
synonyms:
erase, expunge, efface, 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 equation from the blackboard; erased any hope of success. Expunge and efface imply thorough removal: expunged their names from the list; tried to efface prejudice from his mind. 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.
