Efface/ɪˈfeɪs/ Definition 1 of 2Pro Tip 1/3Figurative Use Often used metaphorically to express removing traces or evidence of something. The artist's influence has been wholly effaced by time. Pro Tip 2/3Emotional Weight Can imply a strong emotional desire to remove memories or associations. She needed to efface the painful memories to move on. Pro Tip 3/3Complete Removal Suggests thoroughness in the act of removing or deleting. The powerful software can efface every trace of data from the hard drive.