What does expunged mean?
Expunged is the past tense and past participle of the verb "expunge," meaning to erase, delete, or obliterate something completely — especially so thoroughly that no trace remains. The word carries a formal, often legal tone: a criminal record may be expunged by a court, meaning it is treated as if it never existed, and embarrassing passages may be expunged from official documents or memoirs. It derives from the Latin "expungere," literally "to prick out" marks made on a writing tablet, sharing a root with words like "pungent" and "puncture." Because of its association with the formal removal of records, "expunged" frequently appears in phrases such as "expunged from the record" or "a conviction expunged." It conveys thoroughness and finality, making it a precise alternative to looser terms like "removed" or "deleted" whenever complete, authoritative erasure is meant.
Past tense and past participle of "expunge": erased, deleted, or struck out completely.
"All mention of the incident was expunged from the minutes."
Typically appears in passive constructions in formal and legal contexts.
Describing something that has been formally or completely erased.
"He finally had an expunged record after years of petitioning the court."
When a conviction is expunged, the law treats it as though it never happened — the past is officially rewritten.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of expunged
Expunged comes through the Latin "expungere," formed from "ex-" (out) plus "pungere" (to prick or pierce). In ancient Rome, scribes would prick out unwanted marks on wax tablets, giving the verb its literal sense of pricking out errors. English adopted the verb "expunge" in the early seventeenth century, and it has since carried the sense of complete, deliberate erasure. Its Latin root also produced "pungent," "puncture," "poignant," and "point."
Related word forms
How expunged is actually used
Formal in register; most common in legal and administrative contexts, particularly regarding criminal records being cleared. The adjectival use is almost always found in the passive construction "be/have been expunged."
Easily confused with expunged
"Sponged" means wiped or absorbed with a sponge (or freeloaded), while "expunged" means formally erased or obliterated entirely.