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.
The restrictions could wipe out roughly $435 million in daily economic activity, according to Miad Maleki, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2026
WSJ | Buy Side: Refinancing with good credit might save you money, but longer terms can wipe out your savings.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 21, 2026
Traditional oral care products like alcohol-based mouthwashes and chlorhexidine solutions kill harmful bacteria, but they also wipe out beneficial microbes.
From Science Daily • Apr. 13, 2026
Another victory in that match - providing they have been able to wipe out Arsenal's six-goal advantage on goal difference by then - will see Guardiola's side sit top with five to play.
From BBC • Apr. 11, 2026
At least Genie didn’t wipe out this time.
From "As Brave As You" by Jason Reynolds
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.
