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.
So another day like Wednesday—which are a dime a dozen for the Korean stock market right now—and it will have wiped out all those losses.
From Barron's
They also give traders access to extreme leverage that can amplify their profits—or wipe out their entire investment.
The jobs reports so far this year still show a fairly stalled labor market, with January’s large payroll gains being wiped out by February’s loss.
From Barron's
The Nifty IT index of 10 of the country's biggest software companies is down some 20% this year, wiping out tens of billions of dollars in investor money.
From BBC
The impact ignited global fires, triggered dramatic climate shifts, and wiped out the dinosaurs along with countless other species.
From Science Daily
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.
