Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English - wipe

~1 v 1 »CLEAN/RUB« a) to rub a surface with a cloth in order to remove dirt, liquid etc  (I wiped the table with a damp cloth. | wipe your eyes (=stop crying or remove tears from your face)) b) to clean something by rubbing it against a surface  (She wiped her hands on the back of her jeans.) 2 »REMOVE DIRT« T always + adv/prep to remove liquid, dirt, or marks by wiping  (Wipe any dirt from round the cap before unscrewing it. | wipe sth off/away from)  (I'll just wipe all these crumbs off the table.) 3 »COMPUTER/TAPE« to remove all the information that has been stored on a tape1 (1a), video1 (1,2), or computer disk1 4 »FORGET« to try to forget an unhappy or upsetting experience  (I tried to wipe the whole experience from my mind.) 5 wipe the floor with informal to defeat someone completely in a competition or argument 6 wipe the slate clean to agree to forget about mistakes or arguments that happened in the past 7 wipe the smile/grin off sb's face informal to make someone less pleased or satisfied, especially because they are annoying you  (Tell him how much it'll cost - that should wipe the smile off his face!) 8 wipe sth off the face of the earth/off the map to destroy something completely so that it no longer exists  (Another few years and this species could be wiped off the face of the earth.) 9 »PLATES/CUPS ETC« BrE to dry plates, cups etc that have been washed  (You wash, I'll wipe.) wipe sth down phr v to completely clean a surface using a wet cloth wipe out phr v 1 T wipe someone/something out) to destroy, remove, or get rid of something completely  (Half the population was wiped out by plague.) 2 T wipe someone out) informal to make you feel extremely tired  (The heat had wiped us out.)  (- see also wiped out) 3 AmE to fall or hit another object when driving a car, bicycle etc wipe sth up phr v to remove liquid from a surface using a cloth  (I hastily wiped up the milk I had spilled.) ~2 n 1 a wiping movement with a cloth  (An occasional wipe with a soft cloth will keep the surface shiny. | give sth a wipe)  (Give the baby's nose a wipe, would you?) 2 a special piece of wet material that you use to clean something and then throw away  (antiseptic wipes)