wipe
(wīp)tr.v. wiped,
wip·ing,
wipes 1. a. To subject to light rubbing or friction, as with a cloth or paper, in order to clean or dry.
b. To clean or dry by rubbing: wiped my feet before I went inside.
c. To rub, move, or pass (a cloth, for example) over a surface.
2. a. To remove by or as if by rubbing: wipe off dirt; wipe away grease.
b. To blot out completely, as from the memory.
3. a. To spread or apply by or as if by wiping: wiped furniture polish over the table.
b. To form (a joint) in plumbing by spreading solder with a piece of cloth or leather.
n.1. The act or an instance of wiping.
2. Something, such as a towel or tissue, used for wiping.
3. A cam that activates another part; a wiper.
4. a. A blow or swipe.
b. Informal A jeer; a gibe.
5. A transition from one scene in a film or movie to another, effected by means of a line passing across the screen.
Phrasal Verb: wipe out1. To destroy or be destroyed completely.
2. Slang To murder.
3. Sports To lose one's balance and fall, as when skiing or surfing.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
wipe
(waɪp) vb (
tr)
1. to rub (a surface or object) lightly, esp with (a cloth, hand, etc), as in removing dust, water, grime, etc
2. (usually foll by: off, 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. (Electronics) to erase a recording from (an audio or video tape)
5. informal Austral to abandon or reject (a person)
6. (General Engineering) to apply (oil, grease, etc) by wiping
7. (Building) to form (a joint between two lead pipes) with solder or soft lead
8. wipe the floor with someone informal to defeat someone decisively
n9. the act or an instance of wiping
10. (Film) (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. (Clothing & Fashion)
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 and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
wipe
(waɪp)
v. wiped, wip•ing,
n. v.t. 1. to rub lightly with something in order to clean or dry the surface: to wipe furniture with a soft cloth.
2. to clean or dry by patting or rubbing on or with something: to wipe one's hands on a towel.
3. to rub or draw (something) over a surface, as in cleaning or drying.
4. to remove by or as if by rubbing with or on something (usu. fol. by away, off, out, etc.)
5. to erase, as from existence or memory: to wipe a thought from one's mind.
6. to erase (magnetic tape, a recording, etc.).
7. to seal (a pipe joint) with solder spread by a piece of cloth or leather.
8. wipe out, a. to destroy completely; demolish.
b. to murder; kill.
c. Slang. to be forced out of competition by a fall, collision, etc.
d. Slang. to fail decisively, as in one's training or in an enterprise.
e. Slang. to intoxicate or make high, esp. on narcotic drugs.
9. wipe up, to clean completely by wiping.
n. 10. an act of wiping: Give the dishes a quick wipe.
11. a rub, as of one thing over another.
12. a piece of absorbent material, as of paper or cloth, used for wiping.
13. a sweeping stroke or blow.
14. a gibe.
[before 1000; Middle English (v.), Old English wīpian, c. Middle Low German wīpen to throw, Old High German wīfen to wind round, Gothic weipan to crown; probably akin to Latin vibrāre to move to and fro]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.