erase
v.v. to remove something completely, like marks on a page or data on a computer. You use this when you want to make something disappear so it cannot be seen or heard anymore.
v. to remove recorded information or physical marks from a surface or storage medium. Transitive; typically describes the deletion of data or the physical removal of pencil marks.
You can erase the pencil marks with a rubber.
The technician had to erase the hard drive completely before the old computer could be sold.
The witness claimed that the trauma of the accident had served to erase several hours of memory from that specific evening, leaving a significant gap in the timeline.
From Latin erasus, past participle of eradere (“to scrape, to abrade”), from ex- (“out of”) + radere (“to scrape”). Compare Middle English arasen, aracen (“to eradicate, erase”). Displaced native Old English dilegian.
The verb is transitive and requires a direct object.
I erased out the mistakeI erased the mistakeLearners often confuse 'erase' with 'cross out' or 'wipe out' and add an unnecessary preposition.