wipe
[verb]
Synonyms:
- clean, brush, mop, rub, sponge, swab
- erase, remove
[noun]
Synonyms:
- rub, brush

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English Thesaurus: clean, wash, wipe, scrub, rinse, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. wipe¹ S3 /waɪp/ verb
[Language: Old English; Origin: wipian]

1. CLEAN/RUB [transitive]
a) to rub a surface with something in order to remove dirt, liquid etc
wipe something with something
Wipe the table with a damp cloth.
Bill wiped his eyes (=wiped the tears from his face) and apologized.
He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his nose.
b) to clean something by rubbing it against a surface
wipe something on something
He wiped his mouth on the back of his hand.

2. REMOVE DIRT [transitive always + adverb/preposition] to remove liquid, dirt, or marks by wiping
wipe something off/from etc something
Kim wiped the sweat from her face.

3. COMPUTER/TAPE [transitive] to remove all the information that is stored on a tape, video, or computer disk

4. wipe something from your mind/memory to try to forget an unpleasant experience

5. wipe the floor with somebody informal to defeat someone completely in a competition or argument

6. wipe the slate clean to agree to forget about mistakes or arguments that happened in the past

7. wipe the smile/grin off sb’s face informal to make someone feel less happy or confident, especially someone who is annoying because they think they are clever:
Tell him how much it’ll cost – that should wipe the smile off his face!

8. wipe something off the face of the earth/wipe something off the map to destroy something completely:
Another few years and this species could be wiped off the face of the earth.

9. PLATES/CUPS ETC [intransitive and transitive] to dry plates, cups etc that have been washed Synonym : dry:
You wash, I’ll wipe.
wipe something ↔ away phrasal verb
to stop something existing:
A frown quickly wiped away her smile.
wipe something ↔ down phrasal verb
to completely clean a surface using a wet cloth
wipe something off something phrasal verb British English
to reduce the value of shares or prices by a particular amount:
Nearly £7 billion has been wiped off share prices worldwide.
wipe out phrasal verb

1. wipe something ↔ out to destroy, remove, or get rid of something completely:
Whole villages were wiped out by the floods.
Nothing could wipe out his bitter memories of the past.

2. wipe somebody ↔ out informal to make you feel extremely tired:
The heat had wiped us out. ⇒ wiped out

3. American English to fall or hit another object when driving a car, riding a bicycle etc
wipe something ↔ up phrasal verb
to remove liquid from a surface using a cloth:
I hastily wiped up the milk I had spilled.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. wipe² noun [countable]

1. a wiping movement with a cloth:
An occasional wipe with a soft cloth will keep the surface shiny.
Give the baby’s nose a wipe, would you?

2. a special piece of wet material that you use to clean someone or something and then throw away:
a pack of baby wipes

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

wipe
verb
ADV. carefully, gently | hastily, quickly | easily The plastic surface can be easily wiped.
just, simply | away, down, up I wiped up the spilt wine.
VERB + WIPE pause to, stop to He paused to wipe the sweat from his forehead.
try to
PREP. from She gently wiped the tears from her eyes.
off He wiped the marks off the wall.
on She wiped her hands on the towel.
with When you've finished with it, simply wipe it clean with a damp cloth.
PHRASES wipe sth clean PHRASAL VERBS wipe sth out
ADV. completely, totally | almost, practically, virtually The regiment was virtually wiped out in the first battle.
effectively The disease has been effectively wiped out.
VERB + WIPE threaten to pollution that threatens to wipe out 100,000 fish

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

clean to remove dirt from something:
I need to clean the car.
Clean the mud off your shoes.
wash to clean something with water and usually soap:
She’s washing her hair.
There’s nowhere to wash your clothes.
wipe to clean a surface with a cloth, often a wet cloth:
Wipe the worktop when you’ve finished cooking.
scrub to wash something by rubbing it hard, especially with a brush:
They made her scrub the floor.
rinse to remove dirt from something using water, especially after washing it with soap:
Rinse your hair thoroughly after shampooing it.
cleanse formal to clean your skin, using water or a special cream:
There are many products available for cleansing your skin.
bathe /beɪð/ to clean a wound or a part of your body with water:
Bathe the cut and put a plaster on it.
do the dishes (also do the washing-up British English) to wash plates and pans after a meal:
Who’s going to help me do the dishes?
do the laundry (also do the washing British English) to wash clothes:
On Tuesdays, he does the washing.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

clean without any dirt or marks:
They need clean water to drink.
I don’t have any clean clothes.
pure water or air that is pure does not contain any dirt, pollution, or bacteria:
I breathed in the pure mountain air.
sterile /ˈsteraɪl $ -rəl/ completely clean, with no bacteria, and therefore safe for medical or scientific use:
Place a sterile bandage on the wound.
sterile needles
spotless completely clean – used mainly about rooms and clothes:
Her kitchen is always spotless.
pristine /ˈprɪstiːn/ completely clean and new-looking:
He wore a pristine white shirt.
immaculate as clean and tidy as it is possible to be:
The soldiers’ uniforms have to be immaculate.
spick and span [not before noun] informal clean and tidy, especially after having just been cleaned:
By the end of the day, the whole place was spick and span.
wash to clean something with water and usually soap:
She’s washing her hair.
There’s nowhere to wash your clothes.
wipe to clean a surface with a cloth, often a wet cloth:
Wipe the worktop when you’ve finished cooking.
scrub to wash something by rubbing it hard, especially with a brush:
They made her scrub the floor.
rinse to remove dirt from something using water, especially after washing it with soap:
Rinse your hair thoroughly after shampooing it.
cleanse formal to clean your skin, using water or a special cream:
There are many products available for cleansing your skin.
bathe /beɪð/ to clean a wound or a part of your body with water:
Bathe the cut and put a plaster on it.
do the dishes (also do the washing-up British English) to wash plates and pans after a meal:
Who’s going to help me do the dishes?
do the laundry (also do the washing British English) to wash clothes:
On Tuesdays, he does the washing.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲