wipe
/wʌɪp
/verb [with object]
1Clean or dry (something) by rubbing with a cloth, a piece of paper, or one’s hand: Paulie wiped his face with a handkerchief he wiped down the kitchen wall...
- Lidiah replied holding up her dagger to the sun rays before bringing it back down to a piece of cloth to wipe it gently.
- Remsi, who was dying a piece of cloth red, wiped his hands clean, though they remained stained, stood up, and held his hand out.
- I picked the cloth up and wiped my face as clean as I could, I gave my hands a quick wipe and put the cloth back on the table.
Synonyms
rub, clean, mop, sponge, swab;
dry, polish;
Scottish & Northern English dight
1.1 [with adverbial] Remove (dirt or moisture) from something by wiping: she wiped away a tear...
- She wiped mud, dirt and tears off her face and snatched the paper.
- Balen picks up the stone and wipes the sand and dirt from it.
- He sniffed, wiping the dirt and tears off his face, though also smearing.
Synonyms
rub off, clean off, sponge off, polish off;
remove, get rid of, dispose of, take off, erase, efface
clean up, clear up, mop up, sponge up;
remove, get rid of
1.2Clean (something) by rubbing it against a surface: the man wiped his hands on his hips...
- After each pass of the scraper, wipe the surface clean - it'll achieve a smoother application.
- Jim tossed the pits into the brush and wiped his hands on his pants.
- I brushed it aside and wiped my hands on my jeans before unloading my stuff from my bag.
1.3 [with adverbial] Spread (a liquid) over a surface by rubbing: gently wipe the lotion over the eyelids...
- After cleaning the plate, colored ink is rubbed into the grooves and then carefully wiped off the flat surface of the plate.
- External lipid barriers spread by wiping provide a logical means of waterproofing when the skin doesn't do the job on its own.
- Spray a bit on a shop cloth, then use that to wipe down any metal surfaces in need of ‘rust preventing.’
2 [with adverbial] Remove or eliminate (something) completely: their life savings were wiped out things have happened to wipe the smile off Kate’s face...
- Suddenly the Gats treaty is not about trade at all, but a sly means to wipe away restrictions on business and industry, foreign and local.
- I still have lots and was pleased to discover that a five year rest was sufficient to wipe away burnout.
- Hopefully this change will not wipe away traces of the past, however horrific, before you have a chance to go there.
Synonyms
obliterate, expunge, erase, blot out, remove, remove all traces of, blank out
2.1Erase (data) from a tape, computer, etc. a virus that can wipe information from computer hard disks the tapes have been wiped...
- Then you put the CD into the computer you want to wipe and reboot.
- Unfortunately, all such information had been wiped from the computer.
- Remember those programs I described that wipe clean your computer to keep others from knowing where and when you surfed?
2.2Australian /NZ informal Reject or dismiss (a person or idea): you can wipe that idea, if that’s what you’re thinking
3Pass (a swipe card) over an electronic reader: a customer wipes the card across the reader and enters his/her identification number...
- There was a strange lack of activity at the Astoria when Astor looked in at the end of the afternoon after wiping a swipe card through a reader to gain access to the lobby.
noun
1An act of wiping: Bert was giving the machine a final wipe over with an oily rag...
- Rinse off then give a final wipe over with a weak solution of vinegar and water to produce a sparkling surface free of streaks.
- She gave the coffee table a final wipe and gathered her things.
- A full wipe on your machine solves the problem and gets you a cheap mammoth camera card.
Synonyms
rub, clean, mop, sponge, swab, polish
2A disposable cloth treated with a cleansing agent, for wiping things clean.I keep a box of final wipes in my desk at work and grab one or two when ever I go to the bathroom....
- I go back into the bathroom to wash my face and see that the daughter, who insisted on helping me clean the tub and the floor, threw some of the used baby wipes in the toilet.
- Jackie Rose never planned to buy the toilet wipes.
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.Split screen, weird wipes, floating frames and fades - they guy does everything possible to replicate the look of a comic page, shy of actually shooting one on an animation stand....
- But there's nothing like corny video star wipes and bad sound effects carefully preserved for decades to come on DVD to horrify future generations.
- A variety of video effects, such as wipes and dissolves, can help generate a feeling of suspense.
Phrases
wipe someone's eye
wipe the floor with
wipe the slate clean
Phrasal verbs
wipe something off
wipe out
wipe someone out
Derivatives
wipeable
- Matt is useful for disguising uneven surfaces, but marks easily and is not washable (unless it is one of the new ‘wipeable ‘matt emulsions now available).’
- The first thing to do is to make sure that everything you buy - fabrics, carpets, paint, wallpaper - is either wipeable, washable or Scotch-guarded.
- In his school, from year 1 to year 6, the pupils are given wipeable white boards so they can experiment with writing more freely than they would with pen and paper.
Origin
Old English wīpian, of Germanic origin; related to whip.