wipe

Everyday

1. To wipe something means to rub it with a cloth, tissue or your hand to clean or dry it. tree →
2. To wipe something away or off means to remove it by rubbing. tree →
3. To wipe out means to destroy completely. tree →
4. A wipe is a small damp cloth used for cleaning. tree →

In the lessons

In hygiene lessons: wipe your nose with a tissue, wipe your bottom from front to back after using the toilet, wipe surfaces where food is made. In safety, wipe up spills so nobody slips. In computing, to wipe a device means to delete everything on it. Phrases: wipe your feet, wipe your nose, wipe clean, wipe out, wipe away tears, baby wipes.

Examples

• Wipe your feet on the mat before you come in. tree →
• Please wipe the table after lunch. tree →
• She wiped away her tears. tree →
• Use a tissue to wipe your nose. tree →
• Wipe up the spilt water so nobody slips. tree →
• The teacher wiped the board clean. tree →
• A huge wave wiped out the sandcastle. tree →
• We used baby wipes to clean our sticky hands. tree →
• And he wiped away a tear. tree →

Note

Regular verb: wiped, wiping (drop the «e»). «Wipe» means rub gently; «scrub» means rub hard. Wet wipes should go in the bin, not down the toilet, because they block pipes.

In Jewish tradition

To wipe out also means to blot a name or deed from God's memory. Jerusalem is to be wiped like a dish.

Interpretation. Nehemiah asks God not to wipe out his good deeds, which tradition reads as a plea to be remembered for good. The dish picture shows complete judgment on Jerusalem.

Examples

• Wounds and dishonour shall he get, and his reproach shall not be wiped away. (Writings PRO.6.33, JPS 1917) tree →
• Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and wipe not out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God, and for the wards thereof. (Writings NEH.13.14, JPS 1917) tree →
• And I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria, and the plummet of the house of Ahab; and I will wipe Jerusalem as a man wipeth a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down. (Prophets 2KI.21.13, JPS 1917) tree →

Note

Regular verb: wiped, wiping (drop the «e»). «Wipe» means rub gently; «scrub» means rub hard. Wet wipes should go in the bin, not down the toilet, because they block pipes.