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Justyna Jupowicz-Kozak quote

Justyna Jupowicz-Kozak

CEO of Professional Science Editing for Scientists @ prosciediting.com

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wipe

Grammar usage guide and real-world examples

USAGE SUMMARY

"wipe" is a correct and usable word in written English.
You can use it as a verb meaning to clean or dry something with a cloth or paper, remove or erase something, or pass one's hand over something. For example, "She wiped off the dust from the windowsill."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Lifestyle

Business

Environment

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

Concerns about preserving citizens' rights in the age of internet publishing have been heightened by a landmark ruling by the European court of justice which said that search engines such as Google have to consider requests to wipe links to news stories.

Looking at a cloud-filled valley was less interesting to me (or at least, no more interesting to me) than looking at my father drag his thumb along the magnetic stripe of his credit card to wipe it clean.

While that idea might take a while to be realised, children like Prisha and Khushi, who have painted their names on the road next to a chalk drawn game of hopscotch, are happy to claim their piece of road paradise till noon, when the roaring traffic will wipe away all traces of an idyllic morning.

News & Media

The Guardian

Assuming vampires only feed once a month ("a highly conservative assumption given any Hollywood vampire film"), and that each time a vampire feasts upon a human their respective populations increase/decrease by 1, a simple geometric progression suggests that vampires would wipe out humans in approximately 2.5 years (assuming arbitrarily that the first vampire appeared in the year 1400).

News & Media

The Guardian

Know the basics: It is so important to give people training in the basics – like how you wipe your tracks if you have to use the computer in the hotel lobby.

News & Media

The Guardian

Andy Smith, a teenager from New Jersey, carries a handkerchief – on which his mother embroidered a Rubik's Cube – to wipe the sweat from his hands before he begins solving.

Conservationists are deeply opposed to the project because it would wipe out half of the 8,000-hectare 8,000-hectareure Refuge, home to koalas and aBimbleboxbird species, iNatureng the endangeRefugeack-thometod finch and the vulnerable red goshawkoalas

News & Media

The Guardian

Today I could undress, undo, wipe, dispose, dry, fasten, re-dress, swaddle and cuddle in a single fluid motion, like a master teppanyaki chef.

This 22-point swing is sufficient to more or less wipe out the Scottish Labour party – which has dominated Scotland's Westminster contingent for a generation – and nearly all of Scotland's Lib Dems, too.

News & Media

The Guardian

To wipe out an entire limb might seem staggering – on a cover no less – but in this instance some critics chalked it up to angles, suggesting her arm was behind her head.

The cholera outbreak in Guinea and Sierra Leone that has killed 392 people and infected more than 25,000 others since February is slowing down, say aid groups calling for sustained measures to wipe out the disease.

News & Media

The Guardian
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Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "wipe" in technical contexts like data management, be precise about what is being deleted or overwritten to avoid ambiguity.

Common error

Avoid using "wipe" when a more specific term like "erase", "clean", or "delete" is more appropriate for the context. "Wipe" is often associated with physical cleaning, so ensure it aligns with your intended meaning.

Antonio Rotolo, PhD - Digital Humanist | Computational Linguist | CEO @Ludwig.guru

Antonio Rotolo, PhD

Digital Humanist | Computational Linguist | CEO @Ludwig.guru

Source & Trust

88%

Authority and reliability

4.5/5

Expert rating

Real-world application tested

Linguistic Context

The word "wipe" primarily functions as a verb, indicating the act of cleaning or removing something from a surface or data storage. As Ludwig AI indicates, it's grammatically correct and widely used. Examples show its versatility in various contexts.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

65%

Lifestyle

15%

Formal & Business

10%

Less common in

Science

5%

Encyclopedias

3%

Wiki

2%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The word "wipe" is a versatile verb widely used to describe cleaning, removing, or obliterating something. Ludwig AI confirms its grammatical correctness, supported by numerous examples from diverse contexts. Its usage ranges from neutral, as found in news reports, to more technical applications. When choosing "wipe", consider the specific nuance you wish to convey, as other terms like "clean", "erase", or "obliterate" might be more precise depending on the situation.

FAQs

How can I use "wipe" in a sentence?

You can use "wipe" in a sentence to describe the action of cleaning a surface, for example, "I need to "wipe the table"" or to describe the removal of data, such as "He had to "wipe the hard drive"".

What can I say instead of "wipe"?

Alternatives to "wipe" include "cleanse", "erase", "rub off", or "obliterate", depending on the specific context.

Which is correct, "wipe the dust" or "dust off"?

Both are correct, but they have slightly different meanings. "Wipe the dust" refers to the act of removing dust from a surface, while "dust off" usually implies removing dust from something that has been stored for a while.

What's the difference between "wipe" and "erase"?

"Wipe" generally refers to physically cleaning a surface, while ""erase"" typically refers to removing something, such as data or a memory. However, "wipe" can also be used in the context of data removal.

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Source & Trust

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Authority and reliability

4.5/5

Expert rating

Real-world application tested

Most frequent sentences: