wiper

1 of 2

noun (1)

wip·​er ˈwī-pər How to pronounce wiper (audio)
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
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Noun
Dealerships will eventually inspect and replace the wiper arms free of charge. Michelle Chapman, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2026 Dealerships will eventually inspect and replace the wiper arms free of charge. ABC News, 7 Apr. 2026 Owners can take their vehicles to a dealership to have the wipers replaced free of charge, NHTSA said. Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 7 Apr. 2026 Contact points and pressure Your wipers need to apply constant pressure to the glass to move water off your windshield effectively. Bestreviews, Mercury News, 6 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for wiper

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of wiper was in 1552

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Wiper.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wiper. Accessed 9 Apr. 2026.

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