verb (used with object), ex·punged, ex·pung·ing.
- to strike or blot out; erase; obliterate.
- to efface; wipe out or destroy.
verb (tr)
- to delete or erase; blot out; obliterate
- to wipe out or destroy
v.c.1600, from Latin expungere “prick out, blot out, mark (a name on a list) for deletion” by pricking dots above or below it, literally “prick out,” from ex- “out” (see ex-) + pungere “to prick, stab” (see pungent). Related: Expunged; expunging.