wipe

verb \ ˈwīp \

|Updated on: 11 Jun 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

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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

In speeches at the Wednesday event, one young girl clutched her knees to her chest and wiped tears from her face, and was comforted by a school staff member.

— jessica anderson, baltimoresun.com, "Groundbreaking held for playground at lot where fire killed six children: 'It’s a celebration of life'," 6 June 2018
Merely rebooting the routers will wipe much of the toxic code from memory.

— hiawatha bray, BostonGlobe.com, "FBI warns consumers about malware aimed at Internet routers," 24 May 2018
As the mother of the bride, Doria Ragland, sat alone wiping tears from her face as her daughter was welcomed into the Royal family, and viewers instantly embraced her poise.

— lauren porter, Essence.com, "Royal Wedding Guests Are Selling Their Favor Bags! Is This Kind of Rude, Or Is It Just Us?," 22 May 2018
Even for those able to tune all that out, there was still the matter of Heimlich himself: dominant yet elusive; again the Beavers’ Friday night ace but wiped from team promotions; declining to speak to media but winning, week after week.

— SI.com, "Prospect and Pariah," 16 May 2018
Say it three more times to make sure and then wipe the spittle from the screen.

— alex beggs, Bon Appetit, "Make This Risi e Bisi Just So You Can Say It Over and Over Again," 10 May 2018
Her husband-to-be, Prince Harry, also wiped a few tears from his eyes as his bride walked toward him.

— kathleen joyce, Fox News, "Meghan Markle's mom sat teary-eyed as she waited to watch her daughter wed Prince Harry," 19 May 2018
That should wipe most royally love-addled suckers out.

— josie colt, WIRED, "How to Not Watch the Royal Wedding," 18 May 2018
The city also wiped the arrest from the mens’ records.

— anne branigin, The Root, "A Homeless Black Man Was Jailed After Trying to Eat at Burger King. Now, He’s Suing for Almost $1 Million," 17 May 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