wiper

[wahy-per]

noun

1. a person or thing that wipes.

2. the thing with which something is wiped, as a towel, handkerchief, or squeegee.

3. windshield wiper.

4. Electricity.,  the portion of a selector or other similar device that makes contact with the terminals of a bank.

5. Machinery.,  Also a projection or partial cam, as on a rotating shaft, moving to lift or dislodge another part, especially so as to let it drop when released.

wiper

/ ˈwaɪpə /

noun

1. any piece of cloth, such as a handkerchief, towel, etc, used for wiping

2. a cam rotated to ease a part and allow it to fall under its own weight, as used in stamping machines, etc

3. See windscreen wiper

4. electrical engineering a movable conducting arm, esp one in a switching or selecting device, that makes contact with a row or ring of contacts

Word History and Origins

Origin of wiper¹

First recorded in 1545–50; wipe + -er ¹

Example Sentences

The circuitry that makes them move includes motors typically used to power windshield wipers.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

A wiper attack that infects computer networks and destroys data with no hope of reversal is even more serious.

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First Brands sells billions of dollars worth of parts including oil filters and windshield wipers annually to customers such as Walmart.

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American auto companies have long relied on China for the magnets, which are essential for making everything from electric motors to headlights and windshield wipers.

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Technology like this is very different from the car industry, where, often, the brakes are made in one country, the windscreen wipers or door handles in another, and everything is assembled in a third.

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