erase

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. v. To remove (something written, for example) by rubbing, wiping, or scraping.
2. v. To remove (recorded material) from a magnetic tape or other storage medium: erased a file from the diskette.
3. v. To remove recorded material from (a magnetic tape or disk, for example): erased the videocassette.
4. v. To remove all traces of.
5. v. To remove or destroy as if by wiping out: had to erase all thoughts of failure from his mind.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. To rub or scrape out, as letters or characters written, engraved, or painted; efface; blot or strike out; obliterate; expunge: as, to erase a word or a name.
2. Hence To remove or destroy, as if by rubbing or blotting out.
3. To destroy to the foundation; raze.
4. Synonyms Cancel, Obliterate, etc. (see efface); wipe out, rub off, remove.
5. In entomology, sinuate, with the sinuses cut into smaller irregular notches: applied especially to the wings of certain Lepidoptera.

Wiktionary

1. v. transitive to remove markings or information
2. v. transitive To obliterate information from (a storage medium), such as to clear or (with magnetic storage) to demagnetize.
3. v. transitive To obliterate (information) from a storage medium, such as to clear or to overwrite.
4. v. transitive, baseball To remove a runner from the bases via a double play or pick off play
5. v. intransitive To be erased (have markings removed, have information removed, or be cleared of information).

GNU Webster's 1913

1. v. To rub or scrape out, as letters or characters written, engraved, or painted; to efface; to expunge; to cross out.
2. v. Fig.: To obliterate; to expunge; to blot out; -- used of ideas in the mind or memory.

WordNet 3.0

1. v. wipe out digitally or magnetically recorded information
2. v. remove by or as if by rubbing or erasing
3. v. remove from memory or existence