Vocabulary in context
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Expunge
To erase or remove completely; to blot out or obliterate, especially a record, memory, or evidence.
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Imagine This
To erase a pencil mark with an eraser is as easy as wiping tomato sauce away with a sponge.
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Sounds Like
ek-SPUNJ
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Looks Like
erase
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Remember This
Expunge is commonly used with records or evidence; it carries a formal or legal tone and implies removing something so it no longer exists in the record.
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Other Forms
expungementnoun
expungernoun
expungedverb (past tense)
expungingverb (present participle)
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Connect With
erase, delete, wipe out, obliterate, efface
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Note
Expunge is transitive: expunge something from something. It should not be confused with erase in a general sense; expunge emphasizes complete removal from records or memory. Use in formal or legal contexts.
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Study Deeper
Examples
- The court granted the defendant's request to expunge his juvenile arrest record.
- The database administrator expunged all outdated entries from the system.
Synonyms
erasedeletewipe outobliterateefface
Antonyms
retainpreservekeep
Etymology
From Latin expungere, from ex- 'out' + pungere 'to prick or pierce', hence to blot out or erase; via Old French expunger.
Mnemonic
EX-PUNGE: Think of 'ex out' and 'purge'—to expunge is to purge something from a record, making it disappear.
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Similar Words
Related words and words with the same part of speech.
Obliterate
verbTo wipe out; to erase completely or destroy utterly.
Efface
verbTo erase or rub out; to cause something to disappear or become indistinct by removing traces.
Abandon
verbTo give up completely, to desert or leave behind, or to relinquish a claim, plan, or responsibility.
Abate
verbTo decrease in amount or intensity; to reduce or end something.
Abolish
verbTo formally end or repeal a system, practice, or institution; to officially put an end to something established.
Abridge
verbTo shorten (a text, speech, or other work) by omitting parts; to condense.
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