as in erased
to destroy all traces of
time and the weather have expunged any evidence that a thriving community once existed here
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Recent Examples of expunged
The district attorney’s office dismissed Bennett’s charge, Dougherty said, and records related to her case were expunged per Colorado law – including the original police report.
—
Holly Yan, CNN Money, 5 Apr. 2026
There is a process for requesting to have your DNA expunged from CODIS, according to the FBI, but Glaberson, coauthor of the report, said very few people appear to have successfully done so, meaning their DNA will likely remain there in perpetuity.
—N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 24 Mar. 2026
In September, roughly a month after Kansas City received the federal subpoena for records related to Washington, the nonprofit leader filed petitions in both state and federal courts to have his criminal records expunged.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 24 Mar. 2026
Hardin went on to work for the Precinct 4 constable's office and has since had his criminal case expunged.
—Nicole Hensley, Houston Chronicle, 20 Mar. 2026
One person's success Eliana, a program participant, said the most rewarding part was staying sober and having her felonies expunged.
—Claire Osborn, Austin American Statesman, 28 Feb. 2026
Unusual efforts to clear records A felony charge against a CPD officer — even one stemming from an off-duty incident — is relatively uncommon, and recent efforts by other former officers to have their criminal charges expunged have led to mixed results.
—Sam Charles, Chicago Tribune, 26 Feb. 2026
According to Jefferson County Circuit Court records, Soto-Pantoja is part of a pretrial diversion program that allows for a criminal case to be expunged after five years of law-abiding behavior, including paying fees and passing drug tests, Mascagni said.
—Lillian Metzmeier, Louisville Courier Journal, 19 Feb. 2026
In 2021, Colvin successfully petitioned to have her juvenile arrest record expunged.
—The Week Uk, TheWeek, 24 Jan. 2026
Holly Yan, CNN Money, 5 Apr. 2026
There is a process for requesting to have your DNA expunged from CODIS, according to the FBI, but Glaberson, coauthor of the report, said very few people appear to have successfully done so, meaning their DNA will likely remain there in perpetuity.
—N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 24 Mar. 2026
In September, roughly a month after Kansas City received the federal subpoena for records related to Washington, the nonprofit leader filed petitions in both state and federal courts to have his criminal records expunged.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 24 Mar. 2026
Hardin went on to work for the Precinct 4 constable's office and has since had his criminal case expunged.
—Nicole Hensley, Houston Chronicle, 20 Mar. 2026
One person's success Eliana, a program participant, said the most rewarding part was staying sober and having her felonies expunged.
—Claire Osborn, Austin American Statesman, 28 Feb. 2026
Unusual efforts to clear records A felony charge against a CPD officer — even one stemming from an off-duty incident — is relatively uncommon, and recent efforts by other former officers to have their criminal charges expunged have led to mixed results.
—Sam Charles, Chicago Tribune, 26 Feb. 2026
According to Jefferson County Circuit Court records, Soto-Pantoja is part of a pretrial diversion program that allows for a criminal case to be expunged after five years of law-abiding behavior, including paying fees and passing drug tests, Mascagni said.
—Lillian Metzmeier, Louisville Courier Journal, 19 Feb. 2026
In 2021, Colvin successfully petitioned to have her juvenile arrest record expunged.
—The Week Uk, TheWeek, 24 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for expunged
Verb
-
The Padres slipped to 19-11 but again showed bench strength, getting home runs midgame from spot starters Miguel Andujar and Nick Castellanos that erased a 3-0 deficit.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 Apr. 2026
-
She was relieved that the judge didn’t grant the driver diversion, an option in the state that could have erased the vehicular manslaughter charge from the driver’s record.—
Ariane Lange,
Sacbee.com,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Cases of a flesh-eating infection miles from Texas’ border with Mexico are alarming officials about the return of a parasitic fly that was once eradicated.—
Eduardo Cuevas,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Mauigoa has a high ceiling but the leaning must be eradicated.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The Netherlands never fully abolished its draft, but call-ups have been suspended since 1997 and there are no immediate plans to reintroduce them.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Hangings were frequent in colonial times, but by the mid-1800s some states had abolished the death penalty altogether.—
The Week US,
TheWeek,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The assault killed at least seventeen people, including a twelve-year-old boy, wounded dozens, and destroyed buildings.—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The 24 staff members in Ruiz Verduzco’s office are tasked with assisting victims and their families, establishing programs in communities destroyed by violence and drumming up financial support.—
Molly Quell,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Expunged.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/expunged. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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