efface
Americanverb (used with object)
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to wipe out; do away with; expunge.
to efface one's unhappy memories.
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to rub out, erase, or obliterate (outlines, traces, inscriptions, etc.).
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to make (oneself ) inconspicuous; withdraw (oneself ) modestly or shyly.
verb
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to obliterate or make dim
to efface a memory
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to make (oneself) inconspicuous or humble through modesty, cowardice, or obsequiousness
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to rub out (a line, drawing, etc); erase
Other Word Forms
- effaceable adjective
- effacement noun
- effacer noun
- uneffaceable adjective
- uneffaced adjective
Etymology
Origin of efface
From the Middle French word effacer, dating back to 1480–90; see ef-, face
Explanation
If something is erased or rubbed out, it has been effaced. Teachers get annoyed to find that someone has effaced the blackboard — even the part clearly marked, "Do Not Erase!" You can also efface things that are not physical — like effacing feelings, impressions, or memories. When you efface a memory, you wipe it out as well. Some people believe that their good deeds are able to efface their past wrongs. They'll have to rely on others' opinions to see how well that works.
Vocabulary lists containing efface
100 SAT Words Beginning with "E"
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Unit 1: Telling Details
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"An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" by Ambrose Bierce
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"You may have the power to bring down the government. But you cannot efface reality," he said.
From BBC • Sep. 8, 2025
It’s exceedingly unlikely that Leo had anything to do with her murder, but the show doesn’t efface her tragedy, even as it reckons with the gravity of Leo’s.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 20, 2025
The novel derives its memorable title from Laila’s admonition that the narrator efface her idiosyncrasies, the better to morph into a version of her mother.
From New York Times • Nov. 24, 2020
But some feel privileging an object’s “universal” value can efface the particular history in which it is inscribed, as well as the experiences of the individuals who made it.
From Washington Post • Aug. 8, 2018
There was nothing more for him but to efface himself, to destroy the unsuccessful structure of his life, to throw it away, mocked at by the gods.
From "Siddhartha" by Hermann Hesse
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
