as in eradicating
to destroy all traces of
he didn't get his gambling under control until he had already wiped out his entire life savings
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Recent Examples of wiping out
Although specific town-by-town figures haven’t been released yet, it’s expected that New Britain could get $10 million or more, instantly wiping out more than half of the deficit that educators warned about.
—
Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 3 May 2026
Those errors — which had some tickets showing a lower fine than the $344 required by Florida law and others bearing the wrong ticket numbers — resulted in a Miami-Dade judge wiping out 5,400 violations last spring that drivers were fighting in court.
—David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 1 May 2026
But the passage of Measure G had the unintended effect of wiping out Measure J, which funds anti-incarceration programs, leaving county officials scrambling for solutions.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026
Zaragoza ‘keeper Esteban Andrada was shown a red card for a rather pantomime push on Huesca captain Jorge Pulido — and reacted to the dismissal by wiping out Pulido with a distinctly un-pantomime smash to the face (above).
—Phil Hay, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026
Outdoor Voices, once the toast of the category, faded into restructuring, wiping out its entire social media presence.
—Alexander Puutio, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
At least 61,000 people living in the Gaza Strip have died in Israel’s subsequent military campaign aimed at wiping out Hamas and recovering the hostages.
—Nancy Tartaglione, Deadline, 27 Aug. 2025
Over the past six trading sessions, Palantir shares plunged more than 17%, wiping out $73 billion in market capitalization and marking the largest drop since April.
—Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 22 Aug. 2025
The swollen creek carved a path well above its banks that morning, eventually wiping out most of the road's northbound lane over the large culvert beneath it.
—Jim Riccioli, jsonline.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 3 May 2026
Those errors — which had some tickets showing a lower fine than the $344 required by Florida law and others bearing the wrong ticket numbers — resulted in a Miami-Dade judge wiping out 5,400 violations last spring that drivers were fighting in court.
—David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 1 May 2026
But the passage of Measure G had the unintended effect of wiping out Measure J, which funds anti-incarceration programs, leaving county officials scrambling for solutions.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026
Zaragoza ‘keeper Esteban Andrada was shown a red card for a rather pantomime push on Huesca captain Jorge Pulido — and reacted to the dismissal by wiping out Pulido with a distinctly un-pantomime smash to the face (above).
—Phil Hay, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026
Outdoor Voices, once the toast of the category, faded into restructuring, wiping out its entire social media presence.
—Alexander Puutio, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
At least 61,000 people living in the Gaza Strip have died in Israel’s subsequent military campaign aimed at wiping out Hamas and recovering the hostages.
—Nancy Tartaglione, Deadline, 27 Aug. 2025
Over the past six trading sessions, Palantir shares plunged more than 17%, wiping out $73 billion in market capitalization and marking the largest drop since April.
—Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 22 Aug. 2025
The swollen creek carved a path well above its banks that morning, eventually wiping out most of the road's northbound lane over the large culvert beneath it.
—Jim Riccioli, jsonline.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wiping out
Verb
-
But roots can be deep and seeds can spread easily, making eradicating invasive plants difficult.—
Stephen Underwood,
Hartford Courant,
4 May 2026
-
This makes prediction markets the most useful and precise tool for eradicating exposing insider trading that has ever existed—a tool Congress should rely on heavily, not legislate out of existence.—
Nic Puckrin,
Fortune,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Shea Theodore had a goal and an assist and Brayden McNabb scored a short-handed goal as the Golden Knights stormed to a 5-0 lead after two periods, silencing a sellout crowd in Orange County and erasing memories of their rough offensive outing in Game 2.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 May 2026
-
Several southern states have begun to capitalize on the Supreme Court ruling, including Tennessee, which approved a new voting map a day before the decision in Virginia, likely erasing the only blue district in the state.—
Connor Greene,
Time,
8 May 2026
Verb
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Mayor Mamdani’s glib campaign goal of abolishing the fares on buses for everyone makes a lot less sense than cutting bus and subway fares for the New Yorkers who actually need it most.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
8 May 2026
-
Trump has proposed eliminating Head Start and abolishing the Department of Education.—
Jemma Stephenson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
In the team's binary merger model, the compact object is close enough to its stellar companion to rip off its outer hydrogen layer without completely destroying the star.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
8 May 2026
-
The fires hit close to home, destroying both Pratt’s Pacific Palisades residence and his parents’ home.—
Barnini Chakraborty,
The Washington Examiner,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
For a few minutes at each end of that window, the moon’s edge will appear to align with that of the sun, blotting out the star’s fierce light and revealing the wispy corona off to one side.—
Meghan Bartels,
Scientific American,
6 Apr. 2026
-
From up in the space shuttle, in 1983, astronaut Sally Ride could see the pollution blotting out her Los Angeles hometown.—
Patt Morrison,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wiping out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wiping%20out. Accessed 10 May. 2026.
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