Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense wipes, present participle wiping, past tense, past participle wiped
1. verb
If you wipe something, you rub its surface to remove dirt or liquid from it.
I'll just wipe the table. [VERB noun]
When he had finished washing he began to wipe the basin clean. [VERB noun with adjective]
Lainey wiped her hands on the towel. [VERB noun + on]
Synonyms: clean, dry, polish, brush More Synonyms of wipe
Wipe is also a noun.
She gave the table a quick wipe and disappeared behind the counter.
2. verb
If you wipe dirt or liquid from something, you remove it, for example by using a cloth or your hand.
Gleb wiped the sweat from his face. [VERB noun preposition]
He shook his head and wiped his tears with a tissue. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: erase, remove, take off, get rid of More Synonyms of wipe
3. countable noun
A wipe is a small moist cloth for cleaning things and is designed to be used only once.
...antiseptic wipes.
Synonyms: rub, clean, polish, brush More Synonyms of wipe
4.
See to wipe the smile off someone's face
5. to wipe the floor with someone
6. to wipe the slate clean
Phrasal verbs:
See wipe away
See wipe down
See wipe off
See wipe out
See wipe up
wipe in British English
(waɪp)
verb(transitive)
1.
to rub (a surface or object) lightly, esp with (a cloth, hand, etc), as in removing dust, water, grime, etc
2. (usually foll byoff, away, from, up, etc)
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. Australian informal
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. wipe the floor with someone
noun
9.
the act or an instance of wiping
10.
a piece of cloth used to clean a surface
11.
(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
12. dialect
a sweeping blow or stroke
13. British dialect
a gibe or jeer
14. obsolete a slang name for handkerchief
Word origin
Old English wīpian, related to Middle Low German wīpen, wīp bundle (of cloth), Old High German wīffa, wīfan to wind, Gothic weipan to wreathe
wipe in American English
(waɪp)
verb transitiveWord forms: wiped or ˈwiping
1.
a.
to rub or pass over with a cloth, mop, etc., as for cleaning or drying
b.
to clean or dry in this manner
wipe the dishes
2.
to rub or pass (a cloth, the hand, etc.) over something
3.
to apply by wiping
wipe oil over the surface
4.
to remove by or as by wiping
with away, off, up, out
5.
to form (a joint in lead pipe) by applying liquid solder and rubbing with a leather pad, greased cloth, etc.
noun
6.
an act or instance of wiping
7.
something used for wiping; specif., a disposable tissue or towel, typically of already-moistened paper and variously designed for cleansing the skin, cleaning eyeglasses, etc.
8. Cinema and Television
a transitional editing effect in which one scene appears to replace another as by gradually moving it across the frame
9. Slang, Obsolete
a.
a blow; swipe
b.
a gibe; jeer
Idioms:
wipe out
Word origin
ME wipen < OE wipian, akin to OHG wīfan, to wind around < IE *weib-, to turn, twist, turning motion: see vibrate
More idioms containing
wipe
wipe the floor with someone
wipe the slate clean
Examples of 'wipe' in a sentence
wipe
Many MPs comforted each other as they wiped away tears.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
You don't owe a penny and your credit file will be wiped clean.
The Sun (2017)
I watch the sun slowly wipe away the shadow of the mountain.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Once it has cooled, which takes hours, the block can be wiped clean.
The Sun (2016)
Your credit file has been wiped clean, but there's no explanation of why this took so long.
The Sun (2016)
Wipe away any excess with a tissue to remove dirt, grime and bacteria, then allow to dry naturally.
The Sun (2016)
Yesterday she wiped away a tear as she acknowledged that'this is not the outcome we wanted or we worked so hard for'.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Your credit file has also been wiped clean.
The Sun (2016)
He was wiping tears from his face and looked really shaken.
The Sun (2009)
Fill cracks and holes and wipe to remove dirt.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
My grandfather nodded and wiped his hand over his face.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Simply spray with the solution and wipe with the cloth.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
This is no time to learn how to wipe the floor with people.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Wipe the mushrooms clean and slice into four pieces.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Often furniture and electrical goods just need a quick wipe down to bring them up to scratch.
The Sun (2012)
He recommends antiseptic wipes on each desk and phones sterilised each night.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Wipe clean surfaces are handy if you plan to explode.
The Sun (2013)
Three generations of the same family were also wiped out.
The Sun (2016)
He carries around a special cloth for wiping the shine from his bald head.
The Sun (2015)
The dance show wiped the floor with his annual singing contest last year.
The Sun (2013)
Three has asked the credit agency to wipe your records clean.
The Sun (2012)
The idea that criminals generally avoid leaving their fingerprints behind by wiping them away or wearing gloves is a modern myth.
Colin Beavan FINGERPRINTS: Murder and the Race to Uncover the Science of Identity (2002)
He wiped the insect away but when he woke up the next day he could not see out of the eye.
The Sun (2015)
Wipe any dirt from the mushrooms.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
He had earlier wiped away tears.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
I used a hand wipe in a restaurant recently and got a rash.
The Sun (2014)
She has finished writing the lunch menu and is on the move, pausing to tell an errant waiter to wipe a counter.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
There is no shower but the crew clean themselves in a heat chamber like a sauna, and use tissues to wipe off the dirt.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
She'd need some industrial packs of make-up wipes to remove all the slap used in the video.
The Sun (2011)
In other languages
wipe
British English: wipe /waɪp/ VERB
If you wipe something, you rub its surface to remove dirt or liquid from it.
I'll just wipe the table.
American English: wipe
Arabic: يـَمْسَحُ
Brazilian Portuguese: limpar com um pano
Chinese: 擦
Croatian: brisati
Czech: otřít
Danish: tørre
Dutch: vegen
European Spanish: limpiar paño
Finnish: pyyhkiä
French: essuyer
German: wischen
Greek: σφουγγίζω
Italian: strofinare
Japanese: 拭く
Korean: 닦다
Norwegian: tørke (av)
Polish: wytrzeć
European Portuguese: limpar com um pano
Romanian: a șterge
Russian: вытирать
Latin American Spanish: limpiar
Swedish: torka
Thai: เช็ดออก
Turkish: silmek temizlemek
Ukrainian: витирати
Vietnamese: lau chùi
All related terms of 'wipe'
wipe up
If you wipe up dirt or liquid from something, you remove it using a cloth.
baby wipe
a disposable moistened medicated paper towel , usually supplied in a plastic drum or packet , used for cleaning babies
wash-wipe
a windscreen wiper
wet wipe
a disposable moistened paper towel
wipe away
If you wipe away or wipe off dirt or liquid from something, you remove it, for example by using a cloth or your hand .
wipe down
If you wipe down something, you wash or dry its surface completely.
wipe off
wipe out
To wipe out something such as a place or a group of people or animals means to destroy them completely.
wipe off the map
to put out of existence
wipe the slate clean
to get rid of an existing system so that you can replace it with a new one
to wipe the slate clean
If you wipe the slate clean , you decide to forget previous mistakes , failures , or debts and to start again.
wipe the floor with someone
to prove that you are much better than someone else at doing something, or to defeat them totally in a competition, fight , or discussion
to wipe the floor with someone
If you wipe the floor with someone, you defeat them completely in a competition or discussion .
to wipe the smile off someone's face wipe the grin/smirk off sb's face
If you say that something wipes the smile off someone's face , you mean that it suddenly spoils their enjoyment or removes an advantage that they had and that you are pleased about it.
Chinese translation of 'wipe'
wipe
(waɪp)
vt
(= dry, clean) 擦 (cā)
(= remove) 擦去 (cāqù)
(= erase)[tape]抹掉 (mǒdiào)
n(c)
to give sth a wipe把某物擦一擦 (bǎ mǒuwù cā yī cā)
to wipe one's nose擦鼻子 (cā bízi)
All related terms of 'wipe'
wipe up
把 ... 擦干(乾)净(淨) bǎ ... cā gānjìng
wipe off
擦掉 cādiào
wipe out
( destroy : city, population, wildlife ) 消灭(滅) xiāomiè
baby wipe
婴(嬰)儿(兒)卫(衛)生纸(紙) yīng'ér wèishēngzhǐ
wipe away
( tears ) 擦去 cāqù
to give sth a wipe
把某物擦一擦 bǎ mǒuwù cā yī cā
to wipe one's nose
擦鼻子 cā bízi
1 (verb)
Definition
to rub (a surface or object) lightly with a cloth or the hand, in order to remove dirt or liquid from it
She wiped her hands on the towel.
Synonyms
clean
Her father cleaned his glasses with a paper napkin.
It took half an hour to clean the orange powder off the bath.
dry
Wash and dry the lettuce.
polish
Every morning he polished his shoes.
brush
Have you brushed your teeth?
dust
I dusted and polished the living room.
rub
She took off her glasses and rubbed them.
sponge
Gently sponge your face and body.
mop
There was a woman mopping the stairs.
swab
2 (verb)
Definition
to remove by wiping
Gleb wiped the sweat from his face.
Synonyms
erase
They are desperate to erase the memory of their defeat.
remove
They intend to remove up to 100 offensive words.
take off
get rid of
take away
rub off
efface
an attempt to efface the memory of their previous failures
clean off
sponge off
(noun)
Definition
the act or an instance of wiping
I'll give the surfaces a wipe with some disinfectant.
Synonyms
rub
Give them a rub with a clean, dry cloth.
clean
polish
brush
I gave it a quick brush.
lick
It could do with a lick of paint to brighten up its premises.
sponge
mop
He was standing outside the door with a mop and bucket.
swab
Phrasal verbs
See wipe something up
See wipe something or someone out
Additional synonyms
in the sense of brush
Definition
to clean, scrub, or paint with a brush
Have you brushed your teeth?
Synonyms
clean,
wash,
polish,
scrub,
buff
in the sense of brush
Definition
the act of brushing
I gave it a quick brush.
Synonyms
clean,
sweep,
dust
in the sense of dry
Definition
to make or become dry
Wash and dry the lettuce.
Synonyms
drain,
make dry,
remove the water from,
wipe,
dab dry,
rub dry
Synonyms of 'wipe'
wipe
Explore 'wipe' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of dust
Definition
to remove dust from (furniture) by wiping
I dusted and polished the living room.
Synonyms
remove dust from,
clean,
sweep,
brush,
wipe,
mop
in the sense of efface
Definition
to rub out or erase
an attempt to efface the memory of their previous failures
Synonyms
obliterate,
remove,
destroy,
cancel,
wipe out,
erase,
eradicate,
excise,
delete,
annihilate,
raze,
blot out,
cross out,
expunge (formal),
rub out,
extirpate (archaic)
in the sense of lick
Definition
a small amount
It could do with a lick of paint to brighten up its premises.
Synonyms
dab,
little (bit),
touch,
taste,
sample,
stroke,
brush,
speck
in the sense of mop
Definition
to clean or soak up with or as if with a mop
There was a woman mopping the stairs.
Synonyms
clean,
wash,
wipe,
sponge,
swab,
squeegee
in the sense of mop
Definition
a similar tool, except smaller and without a long handle, used to wash dishes
He was standing outside the door with a mop and bucket.
Synonyms
squeegee,
sponge,
swab
in the sense of polish
Definition
to make smooth and shiny by rubbing
Every morning he polished his shoes.
Synonyms
shine,
wax,
clean,
smooth,
rub,
buff,
brighten,
burnish,
furbish
in the sense of remove
Definition
to get rid of
They intend to remove up to 100 offensive words.
Synonyms
delete,
shed,
get rid of,
erase,
excise,
strike out,
efface,
expunge (formal)
in the sense of sponge
Definition
to clean (something) by rubbing it with a wet sponge