wipeout

1 of 2

noun

wipe·​out ˈwīp-ˌau̇t How to pronounce wipeout (audio)
1
: the act or an instance of wiping out : complete or utter destruction
2
: a fall or crash caused usually by losing control
3
: a total or decisive defeat : drubbing

wipe out

2 of 2

verb

wiped out; wiping out; wipes out

transitive verb

: to destroy completely : annihilate

intransitive verb

: to fall or crash usually as a result of losing control

Examples of wipeout in a Sentence

Noun The surfer had a nasty wipeout. Verb he didn't get his gambling under control until he had already wiped out his entire life savings
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
In elections that October, Ms. Campbell, the former defense minister who had succeeded Mr. Mulroney, suffered a near wipeout after just a few months in office. Alan Cowell, New York Times, 29 Feb. 2024 The transition between these two periods entailed a wipeout of nearly half of all species, referred to as the Cambrian-Ordovician extinction event. Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 9 Feb. 2024 Lenny's talking about the unfortunate, yet inevitable, mishap that happens more frequently than not to surfers: wipeouts. Skyler Caruso, Peoplemag, 21 Feb. 2024 The Conservatives would crash from the 365-seat landslide that Johnson won in 2019 to as few as 150 seats — worse than their 1997 wipeout, when John Major won only 165 seats and Blair stormed in. Dominic Green, Washington Examiner, 12 Jan. 2024 Not even a serious wipeout can keep DJ Khaled off the golf course. Shania Russell, EW.com, 16 June 2023 The losses were widespread, and nearly 90% of the stocks in the S&P 500 fell in the wipeout. Stan Choe, Fortune, 13 Feb. 2024 The losses were widespread, with nearly 95% of stocks in the S&P 500 falling in a wipeout. Stan Choe, Quartz, 13 Feb. 2024 The 99-79 wipeout of CU would have been impressive under any conditions. Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 11 Feb. 2024
Verb
In the past, the mayor has said the entire division was wiped out when numerous officers were placed on administrative leave as part of an internal investigation into officers sending or receiving racist and inappropriate text messages. Judith Prieve, The Mercury News, 28 Feb. 2024 The key feature of thermalization is that any initial patterns get wiped out by the mixing. Charlie Wood, Quanta Magazine, 26 Feb. 2024 Knapp saw his four-shot final round lead wiped out inside the first seven holes by the 25-year-old Valimaki, who was bidding to become the first Finnish golfer to win on the PGA Tour, but the American held his nerve to card an even-par 71 and win at 19-under par overall. Jack Bantock, CNN, 26 Feb. 2024 According to Moody's Analytics chief economist Mark Zandi, a U.S. debt default could wipe out $15 trillion in household wealth. Jack Kelly, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2024 In your version, Fire Lord Sozin says that his plan is to wipe out the airbenders before a new Avatar is revealed. Selome Hailu, Variety, 23 Feb. 2024 Not only that, if the Panthers wind up franchising Pro Bowl OLB Brian Burns, that would basically wipe out their ability to bring in free agents or re-sign a quality performer like LB Frankie Luvu. 6. Nate Davis, USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2024 Lindell had hoped a federal judge would wipe out the $5 million award to Zeidman. Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 22 Feb. 2024 These programs are wiping out the federal student loan debt for hundreds of thousands of borrowers. Adam S. Minsky, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wipeout.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1906, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1535, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of wipeout was in 1535

Dictionary Entries Near wipeout

Cite this Entry

“Wipeout.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wipeout. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

wipeout

1 of 2 noun
wipe·​out ˈwīp-ˌau̇t How to pronounce wipeout (audio)
1
: complete destruction
2
: a fall or crash caused usually by losing control
wipeouts on the downhill ski course are common
3
: total or final defeat
couldn't bear to watch the team's wipeout

wipe out

2 of 2 verb
1
: to destroy completely
crops wiped out by flooding
2
: to fall or crash usually as a result of losing control
the surfer wiped out
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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