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Webster 1913 Edition

Wipe

Wipe

,
Noun.
[Cf. Sw.
vipa
, Dan.
vibe
, the lapwing.]
(Zool.)
The lapwing.
[Prov. Eng.]

Wipe

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Wiped
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Wiping
.]
[OE.
vipen
, AS.
wīpian
; cf. LG.
wiep
a wisp of straw, Sw.
vepa
to wrap up, to cuddle one’s self up,
vepa
a blanket; perhaps akin to E.
whip
.]
1.
To rub with something soft for cleaning; to clean or dry by rubbing;
as, to
wipe
the hands or face with a towel
.
Let me
wipe
thy face.
Shakespeare
I will
wipe
Jerusalem as a man
wipeth
a dish,
wiping
it, and turning it upside down.
2 Kings xxi. 13.
2.
To remove by rubbing; to rub off; to obliterate; – usually followed by away, off or out. Also used figuratively.
“To wipe out our ingratitude.”
Shak.
Some natural tears they dropped, but
wiped
them soon.
Milton.
3.
To cheat; to defraud; to trick; – usually followed by out.
[Obs.]
Spenser.
If they by coveyne [covin] or gile be
wiped
beside their goods.
Robynson (More's Utopia)
To wipe a joint
(Plumbing)
,
to make a joint, as between pieces of lead pipe, by surrounding the junction with a mass of solder, applied in a plastic condition by means of a rag with which the solder is shaped by rubbing.
–
To wipe the nose of
,
to cheat.
[Old Slang]

Wipe

,
Noun.
1.
Act of rubbing, esp. in order to clean.
2.
A blow; a stroke; a hit; a swipe.
[Low]
3.
A gibe; a jeer; a severe sarcasm.
Swift.
4.
A handkerchief.
[Thieves' Cant or Slang]
5.
Stain; brand.
[Obs.]
“Slavish wipe.”
Shak.

Webster 1828 Edition

Wipe

WIPE

,
Verb.
T.
1.
To rub something soft for cleaning; to clean by rubbing; as, to wipe the hands or face with a towel. Luke 7.
2.
To strike off gently.
Some natral tears they droppd, but wipd them soon.
3.
To cleanse from evil practices or abuses; to overturn and destroy what is foul and hateful.
I will wipe Jerusalem as a man wipeth a dish. 2 Kings 21.
4.
To cheat; to defraud.
To wipe away, to cleanse by rubbing or tersion; as, to wipe away a stain or reproach.
To wipe off, to clear away. Wipe off this foul stain; wipe off the dust.
To wipe out, to efface; to obliterate. Wipe out the blot.

WIPE

,
Noun.
1.
The act of rubbing for the purpose of cleaning.
2.
A blow; a stroke.
3.
A gibe; a jeer; a severe sarcasm.
4.
A bird.

Definition 2024

wipe

wipe

English

Verb

wipe ‎(third-person singular simple present wipes, present participle wiping, simple past and past participle wiped)

  1. (transitive) To move an object over, maintaining contact, with the intention of removing some substance from the surface. (Compare rub.)
    Melissa wiped her glasses with her shirt.
    I wiped the sweat from my brow with the back of my hand.
    Tom started to wipe his eyes.
    • 1900, L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
      So they passed through the Palace Gates and were led into a big room with a green carpet and lovely green furniture set with emeralds. The soldier made them all wipe their feet upon a green mat before entering this room, and when they were seated he said politely […]
  2. (transitive) To remove by rubbing; to rub off; to obliterate; usually followed by away, off, or out.
    • (Can we date this quote?) Milton
      Some natural tears they dropped, but wiped them soon.
  3. (obsolete) To cheat; to defraud; to trick; usually followed by out.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Spenser to this entry?)
    • (Can we date this quote?) Robynson (More's Utopia)
      If they by coveyne [covin] or gile be wiped beside their goods.
  4. (transitive, computing) To erase.
    I accidentally wiped my hard drive.
  5. (transitive, plumbing) To make (a joint, as between pieces of lead pipe), by surrounding the junction with a mass of solder, applied in a plastic condition by means of a rag with which the solder is shaped by rubbing.
  6. (figuratively) To change one's demeanour or facial expression.
    You should wipe that smirk off your face before the boss comes in.‎
Translations

Noun

wipe ‎(plural wipes)

  1. The act of wiping something.
    multiple wipes of a computer's hard disk
  2. A soft piece of cloth or cloth-like material used for wiping.
  3. A kind of film transition where one shot replaces another by travelling from one side of the frame to another or with a special shape.
Translations

Derived terms

Etymology 2

Compare Swedish vipa, Danish vibe ‎(“lapwing”).

Noun

wipe ‎(plural wipes)

  1. The lapwing.

Etymology

From Middle English wipen, from Old English wīpian ‎(“to wipe, rub, cleanse”), from Proto-Germanic *wīpōną ‎(“to wipe”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)weib-, *(s)weip- ‎(“to twist, wind around”). Cognate with German wippen ‎(“to bob”), Swedish veva ‎(“to turn, wind, crank”), Gothic 𐍅𐌴𐌹𐍀𐌰𐌽 ‎(weipan, “to wreathe, crown”), Old English swīfan ‎(“to revolve, sweep, wend, intervene”). More at swivel, swift.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /waɪp/
  • Rhymes: -aɪp

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