expunge

[ik-spuhnj]

verb (used with object)

expunged, expunging 

1. to strike or blot out; erase; obliterate.

2. to efface; wipe out or destroy.

expunge

/ ɪkˈspʌŋkʃən, ɪkˈspʌndʒ /

verb

1. to delete or erase; blot out; obliterate

2. to wipe out or destroy

Other Word Forms

• expunction noun
• expunger noun
• unexpunged adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of expunge¹

1595–1605; < Latin expungere to blot out, erase, equivalent to ex- ex- ¹ + pungere to prick

Word History and Origins

Origin of expunge¹

C17: from Latin expungere to blot out, from pungere to prick

Example Sentences

As warmer spotlights go, “It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley” may never fully expunge what maddens and mystifies about the untimely end of troubled souls.

From Los Angeles Times

As such, it was their mission to expunge such art from the public memory.

From Salon

In addition to creating a pipeline for these workers, it would also start a pathway for expunging the criminal records of those who have successfully completed probation and reentry.

From Los Angeles Times

A judge reduced Clint’s felony assault conviction to a misdemeanor, which was later expunged from his record.

From Los Angeles Times

They also asked that the campus bolster protections for international students by providing pro bono legal support for students facing visa revocations and expunging student records of protest-related conduct charges.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• abolish 
• annul 
• delete 
• eradicate 
• erase 
• exterminate 
• extinguish 
• omit 
• wipe out 

When To Use

What does expunge mean?

Expunge means to erase, delete, cross out, or destroy.Expunge is especially used in the context of law, in which it means to remove an arrest or conviction from a person’s public criminal record.A record that has been altered in this way can be described as expunged. The process of expunging can be called expungement or expunction.Example: Many criminal justice reform advocates support the law, which would expand the range of offenses that could be expunged from criminal records.