wipe up

English

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

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Verb

wipe up (third-person singular simple present wipes up, present participle wiping up, simple past and past participle wiped up)

1. (British, intransitive) To dry utensils, dishes etc. that have been washed.

   Synonym: dry up

   You're not watching TV until you've wiped up!

2. To completely remove spilled liquid or solids, typically by hand using a dishcloth.

   I'll wipe up that spilled milk.

   First let me wipe up all these bread crumbs.

3. To clean thoroughly, particularly with a dishcloth or rag.

   Hypernym: clean up

   Coordinate terms: mop up, wipe away, wipe down, wipe off

   I always wipe up the counter before making dinner.

   Please wipe up the kitchen at the end of your shift.

4. (US, transitive, slang, figurative) To defeat (an opponent) thoroughly; trounce.

   We're going to wipe up your team just like we wiped up the Canaries.

Translations

to clean thoroughly particularly with a cloth

• French: essuyer (fr)
• German: aufwischen (de)
• Maori: opeope
• Old French: essuier
• Portuguese: limpar (pt)