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wipe

Syllabification: (wipe)
Pronunciation: /wīp/
Translate wipe | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of wipe

verb

[with object]
  • 1clean or dry (something) by rubbing its surface with a cloth, a piece of paper, or one’s hand:Paul wiped his face with a handkerchief he wiped down the kitchen wall
  • remove (dirt or moisture) from something by rubbing its surface with a cloth, a piece of paper, or one’s hand:she wiped away a tear
  • clean (something) by rubbing it against a surface:the man wiped his hands on his hips
  • spread (a liquid) over a surface by rubbing:gently wipe the lotion over the eyelids
  • 2remove or eliminate (something) completely:things have happened to wipe the smile off Kate’s face
  • erase (data) from a magnetic medium.

noun

  • 1an act of wiping.
  • 2a piece of disposable absorbent cloth or paper, especially one treated with a cleansing agent, for wiping something clean.
  • 3a cinematographic effect in which an existing picture seems to be wiped out by a new one as the boundary between them moves across the screen.

Phrases

wipe the floor with

informal inflict a humiliating defeat on:they wiped the floor with us in a 36-6 win

wipe the slate clean

forgive or forget past faults or offenses; make a fresh start.

Phrasal Verbs

wipe something off

subtract an amount from a value or debt:the crash wiped 24 percent off stock prices

wipe out

North American fall over or off a vehicle.
be capsized by a wave while surfing.

wipe someone out

  • 1kill a large number of people:the plague had wiped out whole villages
  • 2 (usually be wiped out) ruin someone financially.
  • 3 informal exhaust or intoxicate someone.

wipe something out

eliminate something completely:their life savings were wiped out

Derivatives

wipeable

adjective

Origin:

Old English wīpian, of Germanic origin; related to whip

wipe in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of wipe in the British & World English dictionary

Nearby words

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