waɪp v. & n. --v.tr. 1
clean or
dry the surface of by
rubbing with the hands or a
cloth etc. 2 rub (a cloth)
over a surface. 3
spread (a
liquid etc.) over a surface by rubbing. 4 (often foll. by
away,
off, etc.) a
clear or
remove by wiping (wiped the
mess off the
table; wipe away
your tears). b remove or
eliminate completely (the
village was wiped off the map). 5 a
erase (data, a
recording,
etc.,
from a
magnetic medium). b erase
data from (the medium). 6
Austral. & NZ sl.
reject or
dismiss (a
person or idea). --n. 1 an
act of wiping (give the
floor a wipe). 2 a
piece of
disposable absorbent cloth, usu. treated with a cleansing
agent,
for wiping
something clean (antiseptic wipes). øwipe down clean (esp. a
vertical surface) by wiping. wipe a person's
eye colloq.
get the better of a person. wipe the floor with colloq.
inflict a humiliating
defeat on. wipe off
annul (a
debt etc.). wipe
out 1 a
destroy,
annihilate (the
whole population was wiped out). b
obliterate (wiped it out of my memory). 2 sl.
murder. 3 clean the
inside of. 4
avenge (an
insult etc.). wipe-out n. 1 the obliteration of
one radio signal by
another. 2 an
instance of
destruction or
annihilation. 3 sl. a
fall from a
surfboard. wipe the
slate clean see SLATE. wipe up 1
Brit. dry (dishes etc.). 2
take up (a liquid etc.) by wiping. øøwipeable adj. [OE wipian:
cf. OHG wifan wind
round,
Goth. weipan
crown: rel. to WHIP]
