wipe
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 to erase a recording from (an audio or video tape)
5 (Austral)
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)
Informal to defeat decisively
n
9 the act or an instance of wiping
10 (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 (Brit)
dialect a gibe or jeer
13 Obsolete a slang name for →
handkerchief (Old English wipian, related to Middle Low German wipen, wip bundle (of cloth), Old High German wiffa, wifan to wind, Gothic weipan to wreathe)
baby wipe
n a disposable moistened medicated paper towel, usually supplied in a plastic drum or packet, used for cleaning babies
wipe out
vb adv
1 tr to destroy completely; eradicate
2 tr
Informal to murder or kill
3 intr to fall or jump off a surfboard or skateboard
n
♦
wipeout
4 an act or instance of wiping out
5 the interference of one radio signal by another so that reception is impossible