expunge vs remove

expunge

verb
  • To erase or strike out. 

  • To eliminate completely; to annihilate. 

  • To delete permanently (e-mail etc.) that was previously marked for deletion but still stored. 

remove

verb
  • To delete. 

  • To discard, set aside, especially something abstract (a thought, feeling, etc.). 

  • To murder. 

  • To dismiss or discharge from office. 

  • To move something or someone from one place to another, especially to take away. 

  • To dismiss a batsman. 

noun
  • Distance in time or space; interval. 

  • A step or gradation (as in the phrase "at one remove") 

  • (at some public schools) A division of the school, especially the form prior to last 

  • Emotional distance or indifference. 

  • The act of resetting a horse's shoe. 

  • The act of removing something. 

  • A dish served to replace an earlier one during a meal; a part of a new course. 

How often have the words expunge and remove occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )