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ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

efface.

To erase (as anything impressed or inscribed upon a surface); to render illegible or indiscernible.

6 characters2 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

verb/əˈfeɪs//ɪˈfeɪs/
  1. To erase (as anything impressed or inscribed upon a surface); to render illegible or indiscernible.

    transitive
    Do not efface what I've written on the chalkboard.
  2. To cause to disappear as if by rubbing out or striking out.

    transitive
    Some people like to efface their own memories with alcohol.
  3. To make oneself inobtrusive as if due to modesty or diffidence.

    intransitive
    Many people seem shy, but they really just efface for meekness.
  4. Of the cervix during pregnancy, to thin and stretch in preparation for labor.

    intransitive
  5. Of a woman: to have the cervix thin and stretch in this manner.

    intransitive
    Some females efface 75% by the 39th week of pregnancy.
Where this word comes from

From Middle French effacer (“erase”), from Old French esfacier (“remove the face”).

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.