wipe
Americanverb (used with object)
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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.
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to rub or draw (something) over a surface, as in cleaning or drying.
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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.
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to remove as if by rubbing (usually followed by away, off, etc.).
Wipe that smile off your face!
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to erase, as from existence or memory (often followed byfrom ).
to wipe a thought from one's mind.
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to erase (magnetic tape, a recording, etc.)
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to delete the entire contents and settings of (a digital storage device, mobile device, etc.).
She remotely wiped her computer after it was stolen.
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Plumbing.
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to apply (solder in a semifluid state) by spreading with leather or cloth over the part to be soldered.
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to form (a joint) in this manner.
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Machinery. (of a rotating shaft or the like) to melt the brasses of (a bearing) through friction.
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Australian Slang. to refuse to have anything to do with; reject; dismiss.
verb (used without object)
noun
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an act of wiping.
He gave a few quick wipes to the furniture.
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a rub, as of one thing over another.
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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.
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a piece of absorbent material, as of paper or cloth, used for wiping.
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a sweeping stroke or blow.
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a gibe.
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Machinery. wiper.
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(in a video game) a defeat in which all cooperative player characters in a group are killed.
a total party wipe.
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Slang. a handkerchief.
verb phrase
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wipe out
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to destroy completely; demolish.
The entire city was wiped out.
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Informal. to murder; kill.
They wiped him out to keep him from testifying.
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Slang. to beat decisively, as in sports.
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Slang. (in sports) to be taken out of competition by a fall, accident, collision, etc.
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Slang. to intoxicate or cause to become high, especially on narcotic drugs.
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wipe up to clean completely by wiping.
to wipe up the mess on the floor.
verb
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to rub (a surface or object) lightly, esp with (a cloth, hand, etc), as in removing dust, water, grime, etc
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to remove by or as if by rubbing lightly
he wiped the dirt from his hands
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to eradicate or cancel (a thought, memory, etc)
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to erase a recording from (an audio or video tape)
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informal to abandon or reject (a person)
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to apply (oil, grease, etc) by wiping
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to form (a joint between two lead pipes) with solder or soft lead
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informal to defeat someone decisively
noun
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the act or an instance of wiping
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(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
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dialect a sweeping blow or stroke
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dialect a gibe or jeer
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obsolete a slang name for handkerchief
Etymology
Origin of wipe
First recorded before 1000; Middle English wipen, Old English wīpian; cognate with Old High German wīfan “to wind round,” Gothic weipan “to crown”; perhaps akin to Latin vibrāre “to move to and fro”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In the OpenAI case, investigators found a manifesto, allegedly Moreno-Gama’s, warning that AI would wipe out humanity.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026
Traditional oral care products like alcohol-based mouthwashes and chlorhexidine solutions kill harmful bacteria, but they also wipe out beneficial microbes.
From Science Daily • Apr. 13, 2026
On the other side, the district points to ongoing deficit spending that officials predict is likely to wipe out entirely the reserves in three to four years.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026
“It doesn’t take much of a reaction to wipe out a margin of only three quarters of a point,” Lefèvre writes.
From Barron's • Apr. 7, 2026
I see Amina wipe the tears from her eyes with her handkerchief, and I feel bad that such fine fabric is being filled with sorrow, hers and mine.
From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar
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.
