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📕 rednote ID(小红书号)：3881567312

Wipe Meaning, Examples, and Common Mistakes (3 meaning)

Meaning 1：clean by rubbing (Wipe)

Wipe 🔊

/waɪp/

v. n.

To clean or dry something by rubbing its surface with a cloth, paper, or your hand.

Hand using a yellow microfiber cloth to wipe a clean wooden kitchen table in sunlight.

clean by rubbing 🔊

➕

/kliːn baɪ ˈrʌbɪŋ/

v. n.

To clean or dry a surface by moving a cloth or your hand across it.

📁 Category：Behaviors & Actions 🔖 Level：Beginner

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

Old English 'wipian', meaning to rub clean, from Proto-Germanic *wipōną.

💡 Mnemonic

Think of a 'W' moving like a cloth side-to-side to clean a surface.

📖 Example

After dinner, the child carefully wiped the dining table with a damp cloth. 🔊 After dinner, the child carefully wiped the dining table with a damp cloth.

🔗 Collocations

wipe the table – clean the table by rubbing

wipe your face – clean your face with a cloth

🔄 Synonyms

clean (v.) – To remove dirt or marks from something.

rub (v.) – To move something back and forth against a surface.

🚫 Antonyms

soil (v.) – To make something dirty.

🌱 Derivatives

wiper (n.) – A device or person that wipes, like a windshield wiper.

📖 Cultural Story

From Old English 'wipian', 'wipe' has been used for centuries in household cleaning. Today, it is also common in tech contexts, like wiping data from a device.

Meaning 2：remove (Wipe)

Wipe 🔊

/waɪp/

v. n.

To remove something, like liquid, dirt, or a mark, by rubbing with a cloth or your hand.

Close-up of a person gently wiping away a single tear from their cheek with a fingertip.

remove 🔊

➕

/rɪˈmuːv/

v. n.

To eliminate something such as liquid, dirt, or a mark by rubbing.

📁 Category：Behaviors & Actions 🔖 Level：Beginner

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Example

After the run, she used a towel to wipe the sweat from her forehead. 🔊 After the run, she used a towel to wipe the sweat from her forehead.

🔗 Collocations

wipe away tears – remove tears by wiping

wipe off dirt – remove dirt by wiping

🔄 Synonyms

erase (v.) – To remove marks or data.

clean off (phrasal v.) – To remove something from a surface.

🚫 Antonyms

apply (v.) – To put something onto a surface.

Meaning 3：erase data (Wipe)

Wipe 🔊

/waɪp/

v. n.

To completely remove all data from a device like a computer or phone, so it cannot be recovered.

Finger hovering over a smartphone screen showing a WIPE ALL DATA confirmation dialog box.

erase data 🔊

➕

/ɪˈreɪz ˈdeɪtə/

v. n.

To completely delete all information from a storage device, making it unrecoverable.

📁 Category：Technological Inventions 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Example

Before selling his old phone, he made sure to wipe all his personal data from it. 🔊 Before selling his old phone, he made sure to wipe all his personal data from it.

🔗 Collocations

wipe a hard drive – erase all data from a hard drive

wipe your phone – delete all personal data from your phone

🔄 Synonyms

delete (v.) – To remove data or files.

format (v.) – To prepare a storage device for use by erasing all data.

🚫 Antonyms

backup (v.) – To copy data for safekeeping.

🌱 Derivatives

wipeout (n.) – Complete destruction or removal, often used in tech or sports.