wipe

[wahyp] verb, wiped, wip·ing, noun
verb (used with object)
1.
to rub lightly with or on a cloth, towel, paper, the hand, etc., in order to clean or dry the surface of: He wiped the furniture with a damp cloth.
2.
to rub or draw (something) over a surface, as in cleaning or drying.
3.
to remove by rubbing with or on something (usually followed by away, off, out, etc.): Wipe the dirt off your shoes. Wipe the dust from the pictures.
4.
to remove as if by rubbing (usually followed by away, off, etc.): Wipe that smile off your face!
5.
to erase, as from existence or memory (often followed by from ): to wipe a thought from one's mind.
6.
to erase (magnetic tape, a recording, etc.).
7.
Plumbing.
a.
to apply (solder in a semifluid state) by spreading with leather or cloth over the part to be soldered.
b.
to form (a joint) in this manner.
8.
Machinery. (of a rotating shaft or the like) to melt the brasses of (a bearing) through friction.
9.
Australian Slang. to refuse to have anything to do with; reject; dismiss.
noun
10.
an act of wiping: He gave a few quick wipes to the furniture.
11.
a rub, as of one thing over another.
12.
Also called wipe-off. Movies. a technique in film editing by which the projected image of a scene appears to be pushed or wiped off the screen by the image that follows.
13.
a piece of absorbent material, as of paper or cloth, used for wiping.
14.
a sweeping stroke or blow.
15.
a gibe.
16.
Machinery, wiper ( def 5 ).
17.
Slang. a handkerchief.
00:10
Wipe is one of our favorite verbs.
So is bowdlerise. Does it mean:
to steal or take dishonestly (money, esp. public funds, or property entrusted to one's care); embezzle.
to expurgate (a written work) by removing or modifying passages considered vulgar or objectionable.
LEARN MORE FUN, UNUSUAL VERBS WITH WORD DYNAMO...
Verb phrases
18.
wipe out,
a.
to destroy completely; demolish: The entire city was wiped out.
b.
Informal. to murder; kill: They wiped him out to keep him from testifying.
c.
Slang. to beat decisively, as in sports.
d.
Slang. (in sports) to be taken out of competition by a fall, accident, collision, etc.
e.
Slang. to intoxicate or cause to become high, especially on narcotic drugs.
19.
wipe up, to clean completely by wiping: to wipe up the mess on the floor.
Origin:
before 1000; Middle English (v.), Old English wīpian; cognate with Old High German wīfan to wind round, Gothic weipan to crown; perhaps akin to Latin vibrāre to move to and fro

Synonyms
4. erase, eradicate, banish.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
wipe (waɪp) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—vb (usually foll by off, away, from, up, etc)
1.  to rub (a surface or object) lightly, esp with (a cloth, hand, etc), as in removing dust, water, grime, etc
2.  to remove by or as if by rubbing lightly: he wiped the dirt from his hands
3.  to eradicate or cancel (a thought, memory, etc)
4.  to erase a recording from (an audio or video tape)
5.  informal (Austral) to abandon or reject (a person)
6.  to apply (oil, grease, etc) by wiping
7.  to form (a joint between two lead pipes) with solder or soft lead
8.  informal wipe the floor with someone to defeat someone decisively
 
—n
9.  the act or an instance of wiping
10.  (in film editing) an effect causing the transition from one scene to the next in which the image of the first scene appears to be wiped off the screen by that of the second
11.  dialect a sweeping blow or stroke
12.  dialect (Brit) a gibe or jeer
13.  obsolete a slang name for handkerchief
 
[Old English wīpian, related to Middle Low German wīpen, wīp bundle (of cloth), Old High German wīffa, wīfan to wind, Gothic weipan to wreathe]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

wipe
O.E. wipan, from P.Gmc. *wipanan (cf. Dan. vippe, M.Du., Du. vippen, O.H.G. wifan "to swing"), from PIE *weip- "to turn, vacillate, tremble" (cf. L. vibrare "to shake;" see vibrate). The noun meaning "disposable absorbent tissue" is attested from 1971. Surfer slang produced
wipeout (1962); sense of "destruction, defeat, a killing" is recorded from 1968.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary

wipe definition


  1. n.
    a murder; a killing. (Underworld. See also wipe out.) : The victim of the latest mob wipe was hauled out of the river this morning.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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wipe (so) definition


  1. tv.
    to eliminate someone; to kill someone. (Underworld.) : Max almost wiped Spike out.
  2. tv.
    to exhaust or tire someone. : Jogging always wipes me out.
  3. tv.
    to ruin someone financially. : The storm ruined the corn crop and wiped out everyone in the county.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases

wipe

In addition to the idioms beginning with wipe, also see mop up (wipe) the floor with; settle (wipe out) an old score.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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