wipeout
Americannoun
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Informal. destruction, annihilation, or murder.
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Informal. (in sports) a decisive defeat.
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a fall from a surfboard.
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Slang. a total or complete failure.
to suffer a wipeout in the stock market.
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Slang. complete physical exhaustion.
Etymology
Origin of wipeout
First recorded in 1920–25; noun use of verb phrase wipe out
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.
Daniel Jacobs, the communication director for The Science Coalition, said the board’s wipeout actually hurts the country, and puts it on the back foot.
From Salon • May 2, 2026
They made a measly three unforced errors in a 6-1, 6-1 semifinal wipeout of Marina’s David Tran and Alejandro Hill.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 25, 2026
The leverage some traders pile on to their bets can lead to a total wipeout in seconds.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 14, 2026
The software sector has suffered a roughly $2 trillion wipeout due to fears of disruption by artificial-intelligence technology.
From Barron's • Feb. 10, 2026
Crypto markets will be recovering from this month’s historic $20 billion wipeout for a long time.
From MarketWatch • Dec. 24, 2025
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.
