wipe
- 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.
- Australian Slang. to refuse to have anything to do with; reject; dismiss.
- 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.
- a sweeping stroke or blow.
- a gibe.
- Machinery. wiper(def 5).
- Slang. a handkerchief.
- wipe out,
- 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
Synonyms for wipe
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.comRelated Words for wipe
dry, obliterate, rub, mop, remove, wash, erase, clean, dust, sponge, clear, towelExamples from the Web for wipe
Contemporary Examples of wipe
As Kate was driven away, she appeared to wipe a tear from her eye.
Some locations even employ chlorine mats that service members are required to wipe their feet on in order to enter.
An agent insisted they proceed anyway and she asked to go to the bathroom, apparently to wipe the stuff off her hands.
In the winter, they can shield drivers from the annoyance of having to wipe snow and ice off their windshields.
The trucking roads make it easier for predators to wipe out prey.
Historical Examples of wipe
But the way they'll find it out will be in an explosion that will wipe them out.
Way of the LawlessMax Brand
Then wipe the meat carefully and brown it on all sides in the fat.
Woman's Institute Library of Cookery, Vol. 3Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences
Wipe them with a dry cloth, and season them with salt and cayenne pepper.
Directions for Cookery, in its Various BranchesEliza Leslie
Clean two fine fresh mackerel, and wipe them dry with a cloth.
Directions for Cookery, in its Various BranchesEliza Leslie
When it is done, take it out, lay it on its claws to drain, and then wipe it dry.
Directions for Cookery, in its Various BranchesEliza Leslie
wipe
- 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)
- Australian informal to 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 someone informal to defeat someone decisively
- 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
- dialect a sweeping blow or stroke
- British dialect a gibe or jeer
- obsolete a slang name for handkerchief
Word Origin for wipe
Word Origin and History for wipe
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).
"disposable absorbent tissue," 1971, from wipe (v.).
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