wiper

1 of 2

noun (1)

wip·​er ˈwī-pər 

1

: a person who wipes

2

a

: something (such as a towel or sponge) used for wiping

b

: a moving contact for making connections with the terminals of an electrical device (such as a rheostat)

c

: a usually motor-driven arm with a flexible blade for wiping a window (such as the windshield of an automobile or airplane)

wiper

2 of 2

noun (2)

plural wipers

: a hybrid striped bass that is a cross between a female striped bass (Morone saxatilis) and a male white bass (Morone chrysops) and is silvery-white with dark usually discontinuous or irregular horizontal stripes along the sides

Note: The wiper has an aggressive nature and is bred chiefly as a sport fish for stocking lakes, streams, and reservoirs.

White bass and striped bass have solid stripes on their bodies. The hybrid fish, also called wipers or whiterock bass, have broken horizontal stripes, grow larger than white bass and are more tolerant of warm water than stripers.

—D'Arcy Egan

While wipers are far from unpalatable, their flesh is of a coarser texture and tastes a little more "fishy" than crappie or walleye fillets.

—Steve Davis

called also palmetto bass, whiterock bass

compare sunshine bass

Examples of wiper in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

And if your wipers aren't doing their job currently, replace them with heavy-duty winter wipers. —John Tufts, The Indianapolis Star, 19 Jan. 2024

Free services on car maintenance are also available at your disposal, including flat tire repair, battery testing, and wiper blade installation. —Stack Commerce, Popular Science, 21 Feb. 2024

Clean vehicle headlights, replace old wiper blades and inspect their tires' tread depth and pressure to ensure proper visibility and traction. —Amaris Encinas, USA TODAY, 18 Jan. 2024

The Defender lineup offers plenty: LED headlights to rain-sensing front wipers and heated door mirrors to electric memory front seats w/lumbar and driver memory. —James Raia, The Mercury News, 11 Feb. 2024

The wipers also feature a hydrophobic coating that helps repel water in the first place. —Good Housekeeping, 10 Aug. 2023

These ECUs, as they’re abbreviated, are found in virtually all modern vehicles and are used to control a myriad of functions, including wipers, brakes, individual lights, and the engine. —Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, 7 Apr. 2023

Around the same time, computers across the network of Iran's Ministry of Roads and Urban Development were hit with the wiper tool, too. —Andy Greenberg, WIRED, 25 Jan. 2024

Some cool stuff, some terrible ideas, and a very, very floppy wiper. —David Pierce, The Verge, 7 Jan. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun (2)

w- (from white bass) + (str)iper

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1552, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1978, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing wiper

• windscreen wiper
• windshield wiper