I. wipe 1 S3 /waɪp/ BrE AmE verb
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: wipian ]
1 . CLEAN/RUB [transitive]
a) to rub a surface with something in order to remove dirt, liquid etc
wipe something with something
Wipe the table with a damp cloth.
Bill wiped his eyes (=wiped the tears from his face) and apologized.
He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his nose.
b) to clean something by rubbing it against a surface
wipe something on something
He wiped his mouth on the back of his hand.
2 . REMOVE DIRT [transitive always + adverb/preposition] to remove liquid, dirt, or marks by wiping
wipe something off/from etc something
Kim wiped the sweat from her face.
3 . COMPUTER/TAPE [transitive] to remove all the information that is stored on a tape, video, or computer ↑ disk
4 . wipe something from your mind/memory to try to forget an unpleasant experience
5 . wipe the floor with somebody informal to defeat someone completely in a competition or argument
6 . wipe the slate clean to agree to forget about mistakes or arguments that happened in the past
7 . wipe the smile/grin off sb’s face informal to make someone feel less happy or confident, especially someone who is annoying because they think they are clever:
Tell him how much it’ll cost – that should wipe the smile off his face!
8 . wipe something off the face of the earth/wipe something off the map to destroy something completely:
Another few years and this species could be wiped off the face of the earth.
9 . PLATES/CUPS ETC [intransitive and transitive] to dry plates, cups etc that have been washed SYN dry :
You wash, I’ll wipe.
wipe something ↔ away phrasal verb
to stop something existing:
A frown quickly wiped away her smile.
wipe something ↔ down phrasal verb
to completely clean a surface using a wet cloth
wipe something off something phrasal verb British English
to reduce the value of ↑ share s or prices by a particular amount:
Nearly £7 billion has been wiped off share prices worldwide.
wipe out phrasal verb
1 . wipe something ↔ out to destroy, remove, or get rid of something completely:
Whole villages were wiped out by the floods.
Nothing could wipe out his bitter memories of the past.
2 . wipe somebody ↔ out informal to make you feel extremely tired:
The heat had wiped us out.
⇨ ↑ wiped out
3 . American English to fall or hit another object when driving a car, riding a bicycle etc
wipe something ↔ up phrasal verb
to remove liquid from a surface using a cloth:
I hastily wiped up the milk I had spilled.
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ clean to remove dirt from something:
I need to clean the car.
|
Clean the mud off your shoes.
▪ wash to clean something with water and usually soap:
She’s washing her hair.
|
There’s nowhere to wash your clothes.
▪ wipe to clean a surface with a cloth, often a wet cloth:
Wipe the worktop when you’ve finished cooking.
▪ scrub to wash something by rubbing it hard, especially with a brush:
They made her scrub the floor.
▪ rinse to remove dirt from something using water, especially after washing it with soap:
Rinse your hair thoroughly after shampooing it.
▪ cleanse formal to clean your skin, using water or a special cream:
There are many products available for cleansing your skin.
▪ bathe /beɪð/ to clean a wound or a part of your body with water:
Bathe the cut and put a plaster on it.
▪ do the dishes ( also do the washing-up British English ) to wash plates and pans after a meal:
Who’s going to help me do the dishes?
▪ do the laundry ( also do the washing British English ) to wash clothes:
On Tuesdays, he does the washing.
II. wipe 2 BrE AmE noun [countable]
1 . a wiping movement with a cloth:
An occasional wipe with a soft cloth will keep the surface shiny.
Give the baby’s nose a wipe, would you?
2 . a special piece of wet material that you use to clean someone or something and then throw away:
a pack of baby wipes