wipe

verb \ ˈwīp \

|Updated on: 20 Aug 2018

Examples: wipe in a Sentence

Definition of wipe

wiped; wiping

transitive verb

1 a : to rub with or as if with something soft for cleaning

b : to clean or dry by rubbing

c : to draw, pass, or move for or as if for rubbing or cleaning

wiped his hand across his brow

2 a : to remove by or as if by rubbing

wipe the spots off the glass

b : to expunge completely

wipe from memory the gruesome scenes
—Amer. Guide Series: Del.

3 : to spread by or as if by wiping

intransitive verb

: to make a motion of or as if of wiping something

— wipe one's boots on

: to treat with indignity

— wipe the floor with or wipe the ground with

: to defeat decisively

See wipe defined for English-language learners

See wipe defined for kids

Examples of wipe in a Sentence

Would you wipe the dishes?
She wiped her eyes with a tissue.
We were wiping the spots from the wine glasses.
He wiped his hand across his forehead.

Recent Examples of wipe from the Web

Bear in mind, Castroneves racked up 96 points for his runner-up finish at Indianapolis, while Power was wiped in an incident beyond his control.

— jim ayello, USA TODAY Sports, "IndyCar team previews: Penske, Ganassi look to close out decade of dominance," 5 Mar. 2018
Ruth Graham looks at the growing strain of evangelical culture that wipes away transgressions when the transgressor appears to repent authentically.

— rebecca onion, Slate Magazine, "Slate’s daily newsletter on tax workarounds, evangelical forgiveness, and Trump and FISA.," 11 Jan. 2018
Care: Spray with a mild all-purpose cleaner and wipe with a cloth.

— sarah stebbins, ELLE Decor, "How To Choose The Best Kitchen Cabinets," 8 Apr. 2016
Cooler temperatures in the fall could also wipe them out.

— jenny staletovich, miamiherald, "What’s an algae bloom and how did it wind up sliming Florida’s biggest lake?," 10 July 2018
Europeans also may have feared these wild-looking dogs, as Audubon did, and tried to wipe them out, Perri says.

— david grimm, Science | AAAS, "America’s first dogs lived with people for thousands of years. Then they vanished," 5 July 2018
Each piece of pita should be soaked completely in olive oil and the bowl should be wiped clean.

— sarah fritsche, SFChronicle.com, "Recipe: Tawla’s Fattoush," 3 July 2018
Despite those cutbacks, and also the relentless efforts by the generals and the Admiralty to wipe it out, the new RAF hung on.

— paul kennedy, WSJ, "The RAF at 100: Masters of the Skies," 29 June 2018
Any hope the Phillies had of winning Wednesday night was pretty much wiped away in the fourth inning.

— scott lauber, Philly.com, "How Phillies' Pat Neshek (remember him?) could boost bullpen | Extra Innings," 14 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'wipe.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of wipe

Middle English wipen, from Old English wīpian; akin to Old High German wīfan to wind around, Latin vibrare to brandish, and probably to Old Norse veipa to be in movement, Sanskrit vepate it trembles

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

See Words from the same year