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Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. v. To subject to light rubbing or friction, as with a cloth or paper, in order to clean or dry.
  2. v. To clean or dry by rubbing: wiped my feet before I went inside.
  3. v. To rub, move, or pass (a cloth, for example) over a surface.
  4. v. To remove by or as if by rubbing: wipe off dirt; wipe away grease.
  5. v. To blot out completely, as from the memory.
  6. v. To spread or apply by or as if by wiping: wiped furniture polish over the table.
  7. v. To form (a joint) in plumbing by spreading solder with a piece of cloth or leather.
  8. n. The act or an instance of wiping.
  9. n. Something, such as a towel or tissue, used for wiping.
  10. n. A cam that activates another part; a wiper.
  11. n. A blow or swipe.
  12. n. Informal A jeer; a gibe.
  13. n. A transition from one scene in a film or movie to another, effected by means of a line passing across the screen.
  14. wipe out To destroy or be destroyed completely.
  15. wipe out Slang To murder.
  16. wipe out Sports To lose one's balance and fall, as when skiing or surfing.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. To rub or stroke with or on something, especially a soft cloth, for cleaning; clean or dry by gently rubbing, as with a towel.
  2. To remove by or as by gently rubbing with or on something, especially a cloth; hence, with away, off, or out, to remove, efface, or obliterate.
  3. Figuratively, to cleanse, as from evil practices or abuses; clear, as of disadvantage or superfluity.
  4. To cheat; defraud; trick.
  5. To stroke or strike gently; tap.
  6. To beat; chastise.
  7. In plumbing, to apply (solder) without the use of a soldering-iron, by allowing the solder to cool into a semi-fluid condition, and then applying it by wiping it over the part to be soldered by the use of a pad of leather or cloth. See wiping, 2.
  8. To make strokes with a rubbing or sweeping motion.
  9. n. The act or process of wiping clean or dry; a sweeping stroke of one thing over another; a rub; a brush.
  10. n. A quick or hard stroke; a blow, literally or figuratively; a cut: now regarded as slang.
  11. n. The mark of a blow or wound; a scar; a brand.
  12. n. Something used in wiping; specifically, a handkerchief.
  13. n. plural A fence of brushwood.
  14. n. Same as wiper, 3.
  15. n. Same as weep.

Wiktionary

  1. v. To move an object over, maintaining contact, with the intention of removing some substance from the surface. (cf. rub)
  2. v. To erase.
  3. n. A soft piece of cloth or cloth-like material used for wiping.

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. n. The lapwing.
  2. v. To rub with something soft for cleaning; to clean or dry by rubbing.
  3. v. To remove by rubbing; to rub off; to obliterate; -- usually followed by away, off or out. Also used figuratively.
  4. v. To cheat; to defraud; to trick; -- usually followed by out.
  5. n. Act of rubbing, esp. in order to clean.
  6. n. A blow; a stroke; a hit; a swipe.
  7. n. A gibe; a jeer; a severe sarcasm.
  8. n. A handkerchief.
  9. n. Stain; brand.

WordNet 3.0

  1. n. the act of rubbing or wiping
  2. v. rub with a circular motion

Etymologies

  1. Middle English wipen, from Old English wīpian; see weip- in Indo-European roots.

Examples

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Lists

These user-created lists contain the word ‘wipe’.

Comments

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  • bilby Nigerian English - slap across the face. Sep 17, 2008

  • sakhalinskii Something you should never forget to do. Jul 30, 2008

‘wipe’ has been looked up 1496 times, added to 15 lists, commented on 2 times, and has a Scrabble score of 9.