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wipe

[wahyp]
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verb (used with object), wiped, wip·ing.
  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!
  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.
  7. 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.
  8. Machinery. (of a rotating shaft or the like) to melt the brasses of (a bearing) through friction.
  9. Australian Slang. to refuse to have anything to do with; reject; dismiss.
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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. Slang. a handkerchief.
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Verb Phrases
  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.
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Origin of wipe

before 1000; Middle English (v.), 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

Synonyms

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4. erase, eradicate, banish.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

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British Dictionary definitions for wipe

wipe

verb (tr)
  1. to rub (a surface or object) lightly, esp with (a cloth, hand, etc), as in removing dust, water, grime, etc
  2. (usually foll by off, away, from, up, etc) to remove by or as if by rubbing lightlyhe 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. Australian 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
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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. British dialect a gibe or jeer
  5. obsolete a slang name for handkerchief
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Word Origin

Old English wīpian, related to Middle Low German wīpen, wīp bundle (of cloth), Old High German wīffa, wīfan to wind, Gothic weipan to wreathe
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

Word Origin and History for wipe

v.

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).

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n.

"disposable absorbent tissue," 1971, from wipe (v.).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Idioms and Phrases with wipe

wipe

In addition to the idioms beginning with wipe

  • wipe off the map
  • wipe out
  • wipe the slate clean

also see:

  • mop up (wipe) the floor with
  • settle (wipe out) an old score
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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.