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View synonyms for

wipe

[ wahyp ]

verb (used with object)

wiped, wiping.
  1. to rub lightly with or on a cloth, towel, paper, the hand, etc., in order to clean or dry the surface of:

    He wiped the furniture with a damp cloth.

  2. to rub or draw (something) over a surface, as in cleaning or drying.
  3. to remove by rubbing with or on something (usually followed by away, off, out, etc.):

    Wipe the dirt off your shoes. Wipe the dust from the pictures.

  4. to remove as if by rubbing (usually followed by away, off, etc.):

    Wipe that smile off your face!

    Synonyms: , ,

  5. to erase, as from existence or memory (often followed by from ):

    to wipe a thought from one's mind.

    1. to erase (magnetic tape, a recording, etc.)
    2. to delete the entire contents and settings of (a digital storage device, mobile device, etc.):

      She remotely wiped her computer after it was stolen.

  6. Plumbing.
    1. to apply (solder in a semifluid state) by spreading with leather or cloth over the part to be soldered.
    2. to form (a joint) in this manner.
  7. Machinery. (of a rotating shaft or the like) to melt the brasses of (a bearing) through friction.
  8. Australian Slang. to refuse to have anything to do with; reject; dismiss.


verb (used without object)

  1. (in a video game) to suffer a defeat in which all cooperative player characters in a group are killed:

    After hours in that dungeon, our group wiped and we had to start again from the beginning.

noun

  1. an act of wiping:

    He gave a few quick wipes to the furniture.

  2. a rub, as of one thing over another.
  3. Also called wipe-off. Movies. a technique in film editing by which the projected image of a scene appears to be pushed or wiped off the screen by the image that follows.
  4. a piece of absorbent material, as of paper or cloth, used for wiping.
  5. a sweeping stroke or blow.
  6. a gibe.
  7. Machinery. wiper ( def 5 ).
  8. (in a video game) a defeat in which all cooperative player characters in a group are killed:

    a total party wipe.

  9. Slang. a handkerchief.

verb phrase

    1. to destroy completely; demolish:

      The entire city was wiped out.

    2. Informal. to murder; kill:

      They wiped him out to keep him from testifying.

    3. Slang. to beat decisively, as in sports.
    4. Slang. (in sports) to be taken out of competition by a fall, accident, collision, etc.
    5. Slang. to intoxicate or cause to become high, especially on narcotic drugs.
  1. to clean completely by wiping:

    to wipe up the mess on the floor.

wipe

/ ɲɪ /

verb

  1. to rub (a surface or object) lightly, esp with (a cloth, hand, etc), as in removing dust, water, grime, etc
  2. usually foll byoff, away, from, up, etc to remove by or as if by rubbing lightly

    he wiped the dirt from his hands

  3. to eradicate or cancel (a thought, memory, etc)
  4. to erase a recording from (an audio or video tape)
  5. informal.
    to abandon or reject (a person)
  6. to apply (oil, grease, etc) by wiping
  7. to form (a joint between two lead pipes) with solder or soft lead
  8. wipe the floor with someone informal.
    to defeat someone decisively
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. the act or an instance of wiping
  2. (in film editing) an effect causing the transition from one scene to the next in which the image of the first scene appears to be wiped off the screen by that of the second
  3. dialect.
    a sweeping blow or stroke
  4. dialect.
    a gibe or jeer
  5. obsolete.
    a slang name for handkerchief
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Word History and Origins

Origin of wipe1

First recorded before 1000; Middle English wipen, Old English ī辱; cognate with Old High German īڲ “to wind round,” Gothic weipan “to crown”; perhaps akin to Latin “to move to and fro”
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Word History and Origins

Origin of wipe1

Old English ī辱, related to Middle Low German wīpen, wīp bundle (of cloth), Old High German wīffa, īڲ to wind, Gothic weipan to wreathe
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Idioms and Phrases

  • mop up (wipe) the floor with
  • settle (wipe out) an old score
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Henley’s wife, who attended the hearing Tuesday and at times wiped away tears, declined to comment.

From

A century ago, wolves in the United States were almost wiped out by ranchers who regarded them as lethal enemies.

From

Tania had never experienced grief in this way before and said she felt like her memory from that time had been wiped.

From

They are wiping their skates off while they skate.

From

Instead, even after decades of incremental improvement, this crisis of violence against women and girls continues to spread like a virus and and even thrive because as a society we refuse to wipe it out.

From

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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WIPwiped-out