expunge

USAGE SUMMARY

The word 'expunge' is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to mean 'to remove or erase something completely, especially from a record', as well as 'to cancel an official record of something'. Examples: 1. The criminal record of the offender was expunged after the court found him not guilty. 2. After years of activism, the court finally expunged her misdemeanor charge.

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Encyclopedias

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

The ACT has moved to expunge historic convictions of homosexuality, the territory's attorney general Simon Corbell says.

The Guardian

The UK announced it would expunge the criminal convictions of gay men in 2010.

The Guardian

It will be an indelible event in the minds of Hibernian, too, much as they would love to expunge it.

The Guardian - Sport

He noted that Tasmania was also moving to expunge prior convictions and urged other jurisdictions to follow suit.

The Guardian

Baird said he was a supporter of using public funding to pay for political campaigns, "as a mechanism to expunge the corrosive culture of political donations".

The Guardian

Ms Yingluck and her family have become the junta's main bargaining chip in a bold bid to expunge the Shinawatras from politics, once and for all.

The Economist

One is the DPP's drive to expunge from Taiwan symbols of Chiang Kai-shek, the KMT leader, who led its retreat from mainland China in 1949.

The Economist

By letting Lehman Brothers fail in 2008, in order to expunge the moral hazard from earlier bail-outs, American officials reprised the decision to let Guardian Trust fail in 1933.Today's officials did learn some important lessons from the 1930s.

The Economist

Hitler himself was a keen Wagnerian, which led the authorities to expunge virtually all the German composer's work from Russian repertoires.

The Economist

As peaceful political Islam advances, al-Qaeda and its violent jihadi friends have retreated to the remotest patches of Yemen, Somalia and the Sahara desert.That would be small comfort for liberal Egyptians if the Brotherhood teamed up with the Salafists and then claimed a democratic right to expunge secularists from government and from most of Egypt's institutions.

The Economist

Many jobless voters yearn for him, too.However, making the trains run on time does not expunge his sins.

The Economist

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "expunge" in legal contexts, ensure the action legally removes the record, not just seals it. Verify the specific legal implications in the relevant jurisdiction.

Common error

Avoid using "expunge" loosely to mean simply 'hide' or 'ignore'. It implies a complete and official removal. Use a more general term like "remove" or "suppress" if the action isn't legally definitive.

Linguistic Context

The primary grammatical function of "expunge" is as a transitive verb. It requires a direct object, indicating what is being removed or eliminated. This is evident in examples such as "The ACT has moved to expunge historic convictions of homosexuality", where "historic convictions" is the direct object. As confirmed by Ludwig, it means 'to remove or erase something completely'.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

48%

Encyclopedias

21%

Science

10%

Less common in

Independent

9%

SEP

7%

The New Yorker

5%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "expunge" is a transitive verb that denotes the complete removal or elimination of something, often used in legal or formal contexts but also applicable more broadly. According to Ludwig, it means 'to remove or erase something completely'. It's crucial to differentiate it from similar terms like "seal", which implies inaccessibility rather than complete removal. The term is commonly found in News & Media and Encyclopedias, and it's essential to ensure its use aligns with the implication of total eradication. As Ludwig AI confirms, the word is correct and commonly used in writing.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

erase completely

Focuses on the act of completely erasing something, emphasizing thoroughness.

strike from the record

Specifically refers to removing something from an official record.

remove all traces of

Highlights the removal of any evidence or indication of something.

wipe out entirely

Emphasizes the complete elimination of something.

annihilate completely

Stresses the total destruction or elimination of something.

obliterate entirely

Similar to annihilate, emphasizing the complete erasure of something.

eliminate completely

Highlights the removal of something entirely, leaving nothing behind.

purge from memory

Focuses on removing something from one's memory or recollection.

efface completely

Stresses the act of making something as if it never existed.

nullify and void

Emphasizes the act of making something invalid or without legal effect.

FAQs

How is "expunge" used in legal contexts?

In legal contexts, "expunge" means to completely remove a record of an event from official files. This often applies to criminal records that are "sealed" or destroyed after a certain period or under specific conditions.

What's the difference between "expunge" and "seal" a record?

"Expunge" means to completely remove or destroy a record, whereas "seal" means to make a record inaccessible to the public but still retained. The possibility of "complete removal" depends on jurisdiction and specific circumstances.

What can I say instead of "expunge"?

You can use alternatives like "erase completely", "strike from the record", or "remove all traces of depending on the context".

Can "expunge" be used in non-legal contexts?

Yes, while often used in legal contexts, "expunge" can also mean to eliminate something completely in a more general sense, such as to "expunge bad memories" or to "expunge errors" from a document.