wipe out
Britishverb
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(tr) to destroy completely; eradicate
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informal (tr) to murder or kill
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(intr) to fall or jump off a surfboard or skateboard
noun
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an act or instance of wiping out
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the interference of one radio signal by another so that reception is impossible
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Destroy, as in The large chains are wiping out the independent bookstores . Originally put simply as wipe , the idiom acquired out in the first half of the 1800s.
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Kill; also, murder. For example, The entire crew was wiped out in the plane crash , or The gangsters threatened to wipe him and his family out . [Late 1800s]
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.
Regulators should have been careful given such products are "inherently high-risk because the compounding effect can wipe out an investor's entire principal over a short period," it said in a statement.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
The rise in automation, though, has also raised concerns about whether AI will wipe out certain jobs in software engineering, customer service, entertainment and other areas.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
He agreed AI could wipe out humanity but disagreed with Elmore’s approach.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
Preparing for a gnarly thunderstorm that would probably wipe out our power?
From Salon ● Jun. 13, 2026
She keeps about enough to wipe out a city, Matt thought.
From "The House of the Scorpion" by Nancy Farmer
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.
