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.
to rub or draw (something) over a surface, as in cleaning or drying.
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.
to remove as if by rubbing (usually followed by away, off, etc.): Wipe that smile off your face!
to erase, as from existence or memory (often followed by from): to wipe a thought from one's mind.
to erase (magnetic tape, a recording, etc.)
to delete the entire contents and settings of (a digital storage device, mobile device, etc.):She remotely wiped her computer after it was stolen.
Plumbing.
to apply (solder in a semifluid state) by spreading with leather or cloth over the part to be soldered.
to form (a joint) in this manner.
Machinery. (of a rotating shaft or the like) to melt the brasses of (a bearing) through friction.
AustralianSlang. to refuse to have anything to do with; reject; dismiss.
noun
an act of wiping: He gave a few quick wipes to the furniture.
a rub, as of one thing over another.
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.
a piece of absorbent material, as of paper or cloth, used for wiping.
to destroy completely; demolish: The entire city was wiped out.
Informal.to murder; kill: They wiped him out to keep him from testifying.
Slang.to beat decisively, as in sports.
Slang.(in sports) to be taken out of competition by a fall, accident, collision, etc.
Slang.to intoxicate or cause to become high, especially on narcotic drugs.
wipe up, to clean completely by wiping: to wipe up the mess on the floor.
Origin of wipe
before 1000;Middle English (v.), Old Englishwīpian; cognate with Old High Germanwīfan to wind round, Gothicweipan to crown; perhaps akin to Latinvibrāre to move to and fro
to rub (a surface or object) lightly, esp with (a cloth, hand, etc), as in removing dust, water, grime, etc
(usually foll by off, away, from, up, etc) to remove by or as if by rubbing lightlyhe wiped the dirt from his hands
to eradicate or cancel (a thought, memory, etc)
to erase a recording from (an audio or video tape)
Australianinformalto abandon or reject (a person)
to apply (oil, grease, etc) by wiping
to form (a joint between two lead pipes) with solder or soft lead
wipe the floor with someoneinformalto defeat someone decisively
noun
the act or an instance of wiping
(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
Old English wipan, from Proto-Germanic *wipanan (cf. Danish vippe, Middle Dutch, Dutch vippen, Old High German wifan "to swing"), from PIE *weip- "to turn, vacillate, tremble" (cf. Latin vibrare "to shake;" see vibrate).
n.
"disposable absorbent tissue," 1971, from wipe (v.).
