# wipe

Pronunciation: say "WYP" /waɪp/

## Verb

1. To move an object across a surface, keeping contact, in order to remove some substance from it.
   - Simple: To move something across a surface while pressing on it, to take off dirt or liquid.
   - _He wiped the counter with a damp rag to remove the spilled flour._
   - _Wipe your muddy boots on the mat before coming inside._
2. To remove a substance by rubbing it off, away, or out, until the surface is left clean.
   - Simple: To take something off a surface by rubbing it away.
   - _Wipe out the inside of the jar before you refill it._
   - _A single damp sponge wiped away years of grime from the tiles._
5. To clean the anus and buttocks with paper or cloth after defecation.
   - Simple: To clean your bottom with paper after using the toilet.
   - _Most children learn to wipe themselves by about age four._
   - _He reached for the toilet paper and wiped._
6. To erase the data held on a device or storage medium.
   - Simple: To completely remove the data from a device or disk.
   - _She wiped the laptop before donating it to the school._
   - _Wipe the server's drives before decommissioning them._
7. To remove a visible expression from one's face.
   - Simple: To take a look or feeling off your face on purpose.
   - _He wiped the smirk from his face when the teacher turned around._
   - _Wipe that look off your face before your mother sees it._
8. To smear a substance over a surface using a sweeping, sliding motion.
   - Simple: To spread something across a surface with a sliding motion of the hand or cloth.
   - _She wiped sunscreen across the children's shoulders._
   - _Wipe the wax evenly across the table's surface._
10. To replace one scene or slide with another over time, sliding it across along a horizontal axis as though peeling off a layer.
   - Simple: To change from one scene or slide to the next by sliding it across the screen.
   - _He chose to wipe between the two scenes rather than cut._
   - _The presentation wipes smoothly from one slide to the next._
11. Of an adventuring party, to be killed in its entirety during a single encounter or battle.
   - Simple: To lose every member of your team at the same time in a game battle.
   - _If we charge in without a tank, we'll wipe in seconds._
   - _The party wiped on the final boss after their healer disconnected._
13. To form a joint between lead pipes by surrounding the junction with soft solder and shaping it with a rag.
   - Simple: To make a sealed pipe joint by shaping soft solder around it with a cloth.
   - _Old-time plumbers wiped lead joints by hand long before push-fit fittings existed._
   - _He learned to wipe a solder joint cleanly enough to hold water pressure._
14. To deperm a vessel by removing the permanent magnetism its steel hull has gradually acquired.
   - Simple: To remove the built-up magnetism from a ship's hull.
   - _The crew wiped the destroyer at the degaussing station before deployment._
   - _Engineers must wipe a warship periodically to keep its magnetic field low._

## Noun

3. A soft piece of cloth or similar material used to clean or dry a surface.
   - Simple: A soft cloth or paper used to clean something.
   - _He pulled a disinfectant wipe from the canister to clean his desk._
   - _Travelers often carry antibacterial wipes for quick cleanups._
4. A single instance of moving a cloth or hand across a surface to clean it.
   - Simple: A quick move of a cloth or hand to clean a surface.
   - _The counter just needs a quick wipe and it'll be clean._
   - _She gave the dashboard a thorough wipe with a microfiber cloth._
9. A film transition in which one shot replaces another by traveling across the frame from one side, or in a special shape.
   - Simple: A change between two shots where one slides across the screen to replace the other.
   - _The director chose a clockwise wipe to move from the city to the desert._
   - _Classic serials linked their scenes with a quick horizontal wipe._
12. An occasion on which every member of a party is killed during a single encounter or battle.
   - Simple: A moment in a game when every member of a team dies at the same time.
   - _The healer's mistake led to an early wipe on the boss._
   - _We reviewed the recording of each wipe to spot our mistakes._
15. A lapwing, especially the northern lapwing (Vanellus vanellus), a crested wading bird of farmland and marsh.
   - Simple: A black-and-white wading bird with a crest, found in fields and wetlands.
   - _The farmer watched a wipe drop suddenly toward the plowed earth._
   - _Two wipes wheeled above the marsh, calling sharply._

## Noun

16. A sarcastic remark; a cutting reproof or jibe aimed at someone. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: A sharp or mocking comment meant to criticize someone.
   - _The old scholar answered every question with a dry wipe at his students._
   - _They traded wipes across the tavern table all evening._
19. A blow or sweeping stroke dealt to someone or something. *(obsolete, UK)*
   - Simple: A hard hit or blow given to someone or something.
20. A handkerchief. *(obsolete, UK)*
   - Simple: A handkerchief, a small cloth for wiping the nose or face.
   - _He dabbed his brow with a fine linen wipe._
   - _Thieves prized silk wipes for the price they fetched._

## Verb

17. To cheat, defraud, or trick someone, usually out of money or property. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To cheat someone or trick them out of money or goods.
   - _Card sharps would wipe honest travelers out of every coin they carried._
   - _He wiped his partner out of a fair share of the profits._
18. To deliver a blow to someone or something; to hit or strike. *(obsolete, UK)*
   - Simple: To hit or strike a person or thing with a blow.
   - _The bruiser wiped his opponent square on the jaw._
   - _Mind he doesn't wipe you with that stick._

## Origin

**Meanings 1–10, 13–14, 16–20** — From Middle English wipen, from Old English wīpian ("to wipe, rub, cleanse"), from Proto-West Germanic *wīpōn, and ultimately from a Proto-Indo-European root *weyp- meaning "to twist, wind around." It is related to German wippen ("to bob") and Gothic weipan ("to wreathe, crown").
**Meanings 11–12** — Formed by shortening "wipe out" (verb) and "wipeout" (noun).

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/wipe (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).