Meanings
verberase (third-person singular simple present erases, present participle erasing, simple past and past participle erased)
present singular third person erases · participle present erasing · participle past erased · past erased
- transitiveTo remove (markings or information).
I erased that word from the page because it was wrong.
- transitiveTo obliterate information from (a storage medium), such as to clear or (with magnetic storage) to demagnetize.
I'm going to erase this tape.
- transitiveTo obliterate (information) from a storage medium, such as to clear or to overwrite.
I'm going to erase those files.
- transitiveball gamesTo remove a runner from the bases via a double play or pick off play
Jones was erased by a 6-4-3 double play.
1 more example
C.J. Henderson has the speed and anticipation to erase receivers all over the field, and his athleticism is absurd; according to Bruce Feldman of The Athletic, Henderson bench presses 380 pounds and squats 545.
2020 April 23, Ken Belson, Ben Shpigel, “Full Round 1 2020 N.F.L. Picks and Analysis”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 23 Apr 2020 - intransitiveTo be erased (have markings removed, have information removed, or be cleared of information).
The chalkboard erased easily.
1 more example
The files will erase quickly.
- transitiveTo disregard (a group, an orientation, etc.); to prevent from having an active role in society.
As a result, Palestinians are hyperpresent in Israeli media, while Mizrahim are erased from public discourse.
2004, Daniel Lefkowitz, Words and Stones, page 2092 more examples
I suggest, then, that counterdiscourses, when reductive, tend to emulate the screen discourse that erases gay sociality.
1998, Janice Lynn Ristock, Catherine Taylor, Inside the academy and outSilence around Native sexuality benefits the colonizers and erases queer Native people from their communities.
2011, Qwo-Li Driskill, Queer Indigenous Studies, page 40 - slangtransitiveTo kill; assassinate.
nounerase (plural erases)
plural erases
- computingThe operation of deleting data.
This subsystem is waiting to become Exclusive after having issued an erase.
2000, Mark D. Hill, Norman P. Jouppi, Gurindar S. Sohi, Readings in Computer Architecture, page 603
Synonyms & antonyms
antonym(s) of “remove markings or information”
Opposite
verbremove by or as if by rubbing or erasing
verbwipe out digitally or magnetically recorded information
Similar
Opposite
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*h₁éǵʰ
- Proto-Indo-European*h₁éǵʰs
- Proto-Italic*eks
- Latinex
- Latinex-
- Proto-Italic*razdō
- Latinradō
- Latinērādō
- Latinērāsus
- Englisherase
From Latin ērāsus, past participle of ērādere (“to scrape, to abrade”), from ex- (“out of”) + radere (“to scrape”). Compare Middle English arasen, aracen (“to eradicate, erase”). Displaced native Old English dilegian.
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic مَحَا, مَحَى
- مَحَا (maḥā)to remove markings or information
- مَحَى (maḥā)to remove markings or information
- اِمَّحَى (immaḥā)intransitive: to be erased
- اِنْمَحَى (inmaḥā)intransitive: to be erased
Bulgarian изтривам, изтривам
- изтривам (iztrivam)to remove markings or information
- изтривам (iztrivam)to obliterate information
- изтривам (iztrivam)to clear a storage medium
Catalan esborrar
- esborrarto remove markings or information
Chinese Mandarin 拭除, 抹去
- 拭除 (shìchú)to remove markings or information
- 抹去 (mǒqù)to remove markings or information
- 擦去 (cāqù)to remove markings or information
Czech smazat, vymazat
- smazatto remove markings or information
- vymazatto remove markings or information
- smazatto obliterate information
- vymazatto obliterate information
- smazatto clear a storage medium
- vymazatto clear a storage medium
Danish slette, viske
- sletteto remove markings or information
- visketo remove markings or information
- fjerneto remove markings or information
- sletteto obliterate information
- sletteto clear a storage medium
Dutch uitwissen, uitgummen
- uitwissento remove markings or information
- uitgummento remove markings or information
Esperanto forigi, viŝi
- forigito remove markings or information
- viŝito obliterate information
- viŝito clear a storage medium
Finnish poistaa, pyyhkiä yli
- poistaato remove markings or information
- pyyhkiä ylito remove markings or information
- pyyhkiäto obliterate information
- pyyhkiäto clear a storage medium
- poistaato clear a storage medium
- poistaato remove a runner
- pyyhkiytyäintransitive: to be erased
French effacer, effacer
- effacerto remove markings or information
- effacerto obliterate information
- effacerto clear a storage medium
- s'effacerintransitive: to be erased
German auslöschen, ausradieren
- auslöschento remove markings or information
- ausradierento remove markings or information
- löschento remove markings or information
- tilgento remove markings or information
- vernichtento obliterate information
- löschento obliterate information
- löschento clear a storage medium
- leerento clear a storage medium
- reinigento clear a storage medium
- ausschaltento remove a runner
Greek σβήνω, σβήνω
- σβήνω (svíno)to remove markings or information
- σβήνω (svíno)to obliterate information
Hindi मिटाना
- मिटाना (miṭānā)to remove markings or information
Hungarian töröl, kitöröl
- törölto remove markings or information
- kitörölto remove markings or information
- kiradírozto remove markings or information
- törölto obliterate information
- letörölto obliterate information
- kitörölto obliterate information
- törölto clear a storage medium
- letörölto clear a storage medium
- törlődikintransitive: to be erased
Irish scrios, glan
- scriosto remove markings or information
- glanto obliterate information
- léirscriosto clear a storage medium
Italian cancellare, eliminare
- cancellareto remove markings or information
- eliminareto remove markings or information
- cancellareto obliterate information
Japanese 消す, 消去する
- 消す (kesu)to remove markings or information
- 消去する (shōkyo suru)to remove markings or information
- 抹消する (masshō suru)to obliterate information
Korean 지우다
- 지우다 (jiuda)to remove markings or information
Latin ērādō, oblitterō
- ērādōto remove markings or information
- oblitterōto remove markings or information
- oblitterōto obliterate information
Lithuanian trinti
- trintito remove markings or information
Malay memadamkan
- memadamkanto remove markings or information
Māori muku, kōmuru
- mukuto remove markings or information
- kōmuruto remove markings or information
- ūkuito remove markings or information
- mukuto obliterate information
- kōmuruto obliterate information
- ūkuito obliterate information
- kōmuruto clear a storage medium
Norwegian Bokmål slette, fjerne
- sletteto remove markings or information
- fjerneto remove markings or information
- radereto remove markings or information
- radere utto remove markings or information
- radere bortto remove markings or information
- radere vekkto remove markings or information
- visketo remove markings or information
Polish wymazywać, wymazać
- wymazywaćto remove markings or information
- wymazaćto remove markings or information
- ścieraćto remove markings or information
- zetrzećto remove markings or information
Portuguese apagar, apagar
- apagarto remove markings or information
- apagarto obliterate information
- excluirto clear a storage medium
- deletarto clear a storage medium
Romanian șterge
- ștergeto remove markings or information
Russian стира́ть, стере́ть
- стира́ть (stirátʹ)to remove markings or information
- стере́ть (sterétʹ)to remove markings or information
- стира́ть (stirátʹ)to obliterate information
- стере́ть (sterétʹ)to obliterate information
- стира́ть (stirátʹ)to clear a storage medium
- стере́ть (sterétʹ)to clear a storage medium
Scottish Gaelic dubh às, dubh a-mach
- dubh àsto remove markings or information
- dubh a-machto remove markings or information
- dubh àsto obliterate information
- dubh àsto clear a storage medium
- dubh a-machto clear a storage medium
Slovak vymazávať, vymazať
- vymazávaťto remove markings or information
- vymazaťto remove markings or information
Spanish borrar, borrar
- borrarto remove markings or information
- borrarto obliterate information
- borrarto clear a storage medium
- borrarseintransitive: to be erased
Swedish radera, utplåna
- raderato remove markings or information
- utplånato remove markings or information
- raderato obliterate information
- utplånato obliterate information
- raderato clear a storage medium
Tagalog bura, burahin
- burato remove markings or information
- burahinto remove markings or information
Tamil அழி
- அழி (aḻi)to remove markings or information
Turkish silmek, silmek
- silmekto remove markings or information
- silmekto clear a storage medium
Ukrainian стира́ти, сте́рти
- стира́ти (styráty)to remove markings or information
- сте́рти (stérty)to remove markings or information
Urdu مٹانا
- مٹاناto remove markings or information
Vietnamese xóa
- xóato remove markings or information
Yiddish מעקן, אויסמעקן
- מעקן (mekn)to remove markings or information
- אויסמעקן (oysmekn)to remove markings or information
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with erase
dayscaseplacespacefacebasewaysracephasebassreplaceraiseresgracephrasepacetraceacechasepraiselacegayshayesstays
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
erase. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/erase
MLA
“erase.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/erase. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “erase,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/erase.
Source: erase on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.