VocabularyBasePractice words

Meaning & use

erasures

noun·Advanced

Last updated

UK/ɪˈreɪʒəz/
US/ɪˈreɪʒɚz/

“erasures” is a form of “erasure”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.

Meanings

  1. nounplural

    Marks or places where writing has been rubbed out or removed, or the acts of removing it.

    Grammar: Plural of erasure: the page had several erasures.

    Patterns

    • erasures in something

    The old manuscript showed several erasures where the scribe had changed words.

    His exam paper was full of erasures and corrections.

    You can still read the first draft beneath the erasures.

  2. nounpluraltechnical

    Complete removal of information or records, especially digital data.

    Grammar: Often used in privacy contexts: requests for erasures.

    Patterns

    • erasures of data

    The company received hundreds of data erasures requests.

    Secure erasures prevent anyone from recovering the files.

  3. nounpluralformal

    Situations in which a group's history or existence is ignored or treated as if it never happened.

    Grammar: Used in social writing: erasures of minority histories.

    Patterns

    • erasures of something

    Historians criticized the erasures of women from textbooks.

    The film avoids the erasures common in older accounts.

Word forms

singularerasure

Common combinations

data erasures
Data erasures must be completed within a month.
visible erasures
The sheet had visible erasures.
make erasures
Please make no erasures on the form.
historical erasures
The exhibit addresses historical erasures.
secure erasures
The firm offers secure erasures of old drives.

Synonyms and how they differ

deletions
It is used for removing text or files in general and does not suggest rubbing out.
corrections
It means changes to put things right, whereas erasures only describe the removal.
obliterations
It means total destruction, which is stronger than erasures.
omissions
It means things left out, not removed afterward.

Opposites

additionsinsertions

Word family

erase verb
to remove writing or data
erasure noun
the act of erasing
eraser noun
an object used to rub out marks
erasable adjective
able to be erased

Commonly confused: erasures or erosion?

erasures vs erosion

It describes gradual wearing away of land or surfaces, not deliberate removal of writing.

Practice

The legal form must be free of ____ or any signs of tampering.

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “erasures”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Your sentence stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.

Explore more words