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View synonyms for wipe

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: banish, eradicate, erase
  5. to erase, as from existence or memory (often followed byfrom ).

    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-offMovies.,  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.

  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. wipe out

    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.

  2. wipe up,  to clean completely by wiping.

    to wipe up the mess on the floor.

wipe

/ waɪp /

verb

  1. to rub (a surface or object) lightly, esp with (a cloth, hand, etc), as in removing dust, water, grime, etc

  2. 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. 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 wīpian; cognate with Old High German wīfan “to wind round,” Gothic weipan “to crown”; perhaps akin to Latin vibrāre “to move to and fro”
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Word History and Origins

Origin of wipe1

Old English wīpian, related to Middle Low German wīpen, wīp bundle (of cloth), Old High German wīffa, wīfan 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 are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

This war has wiped out the road to the past.

Read more on BBC

We came ashore in a big set, swimming frantically in, then turning to face the waves so we didn’t get wiped out.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Its recent survey of families it helps found nearly two-thirds worry about food, nappies, wipes, and heating costs.

Read more on BBC

The solid mass weighed as much as eight double-decker buses and consisted mainly of wet wipes held together by fat, oil and grease.

Read more on BBC

Fascists are doomed to failure because queerness cannot be eradicated, despite any Quiet Pride or clampdown effort, unless you wipe out humanity itself.

Read more on Salon

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WIPwiped-out