Blotting is a verb used to refer to the act of removing moisture or excess liquid from a surface by pressing or absorbing. There are several synonyms for this action including soaking up, sopping, wiping, dabbing, absorbing, soaking, mopping up, and sponging. In some contexts, blotting may also be used in reference to erasing or removing something that is unpleasant or undesirable. Other synonyms for this particular meaning include effacing, obliterating, eradicating, annihilating, canceling, and nullifying. Each of these terms can convey a slightly different nuance, but they all refer to a similar action of removing or eliminating something.