wipe

[[t]waɪp[/t]]

v. wiped, wip•ing, n.

1) to rub lightly with something in order to clean or dry the surface:

to wipe furniture with a soft cloth[/ex]

2) to clean or dry by patting or rubbing on or with something:

to wipe one's hands on a towel[/ex]

3) to rub or draw (something) over a surface, as in cleaning or drying

4) to remove by or as if by rubbing with or on something (usu. fol. by away, off, out, etc.)

5) to erase, as from existence or memory:

to wipe a thought from one's mind[/ex]

6) cvb to erase (magnetic tape, a recording, etc.)

7) bui to seal (a pipe joint) with solder spread by a piece of cloth or leather

8) cvb phv wipe out

a) to destroy completely; demolish

b) to murder; kill

c) sl. to be forced out of competition by a fall, collision, etc

d) sl. to fail decisively, as in one's training or in an enterprise

e) Slang. to intoxicate or make high, esp. on narcotic drugs

9) phv wipe up, to clean completely by wiping

10) an act of wiping:

Give the dishes a quick wipe[/ex]

11) a rub, as of one thing over another

12) cvb a piece of absorbent material, as of paper or cloth, used for wiping

13) a sweeping stroke or blow

14) a gibe

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Etymology: bef. 1000; ME (v.), OE wīpian, c. MLG wīpen to throw, OHG wīfen to wind round, Go weipan to crown; prob. akin to L vibrāre to move to and fro