wipe

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
wipe/wʌɪp/

▶verb

• 1 clean or dry by rubbing with a cloth or one's hand.

  ■ remove (dirt or moisture) in this way.

• 2 spread (liquid) over a surface by rubbing.

• 3 (often wipe something out) remove or eliminate completely.

  ■ erase (data) from a magnetic medium.

• 4 pass (a swipe card) over an electronic reader.

• 5 Austral./NZ informal reject or dismiss.

▶noun

• 1 an act of wiping.

• 2 an absorbent disposable cleaning cloth.

• 3 a cinematographic effect in which an existing picture seems to be wiped out by a new one.

– phrases
wipe someone's eye Brit. informal, dated get the better of someone.
wipe the floor with informal inflict a humiliating defeat on.
wipe the slate clean make a fresh start.

– phrasal verbs
wipe something off subtract an amount from a value or debt.
wipe out informal be capsized by a wave while surfing.

■ N. Amer. fall over or off a vehicle.

wipe someone out

• 1 kill a large number of people.

• 2 ruin someone financially.

• 3 (be wiped out) informal be exhausted or intoxicated.

– derivatives
wipeable adjective.

– origin OE wīpian, of Gmc origin; rel. to whip.