mindmap root((删除)) erase implies the act of rubbing or wiping out, as of letters or impressions, often in preparation for correction or replacement by new matter: ~ what you wrote and start over. expunge stresses a removal or destruction that leaves no trace: ~d all references to the deposed leader. cancel implies an action, as marking, revoking, or neutralizing, that nullifies or invalidates a thing: a crime that ~led all her good deeds. efface implies the removal of an impression, imprint, or image by damage to or elimination of the surface on which it appears or removal of every visible sign of its existence: coins with dates ~d by wear. obliterate implies a covering up or smearing over or utter destruction that removes all traces of a thing's existence: an outdoor mural almost ~d by graffiti. blot out like obliterate, suggests a rendering of something indecipherable or nonexistent by smearing over or hiding completely: ~ted the offensive passage with black ink. delete implies a deliberate exclusion, or a marking to direct exclusion, of written matter: his editor ~d all unflattering references to others.