Wipe out meaning
Wipe out means to destroy or remove something completely. It can also mean to make someone extremely tired (informal, often be wiped out).
wipe something out
wipe out · wiped · wiping
The flood wiped out the whole village.
Wipe out meanings and examples
3 meanings, each with its own CEFR level. A level marked ~ is our estimate: Oxford and Cambridge give none for that meaning.
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1
Destroy or remove something completely
wipe something out
- The flood wiped out the whole village.
- One bad year wiped out all our savings.
- Scientists hope to wipe the disease out for good.
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2
Make someone extremely tired (informal, often be wiped out)
wipe somebody out
- That ten-kilometre hike completely wiped me out.
- I’m wiped out. I’m going straight to bed.
- Night shifts really wipe you out.
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3
Fall over, especially on a board or skis (informal)
wipe out
- I wiped out on my first wave.
- He wiped out at the bottom of the ski slope.
- Did you wipe out on the ice this morning?
Café orders
New friends
At the airport
Slova
Use wipe out in real conversations
- Learn new words with picture cards
- Talk with Felix, an AI tutor, about the things you love
- Short lessons at your level, a few minutes a day
Is wipe out separable?
Wipe out is separable when it has an object: wipe out the town, wipe the town out, wipe it out. It is very common in the passive: The crops were wiped out.
I’m wiped out (informal) means I’m extremely tired. The noun wipeout, one word, is a bad fall in surfing or skiing, or a total defeat.
Verb tenses for wipe out
| Present | I wipe out · she wipes out |
|---|---|
| Past | wiped out |
| Present perfect | have wiped out |
| -ing form | wiping out |
Common mistakes with wipe out
What learners often say, and what to say instead.
Wrong: The storm wiped out it.
Right: The storm wiped it out.
A pronoun goes between wipe and out.
Wrong: I’m so wipe out after the gym.
Right: I’m so wiped out after the gym.
The adjective form is wiped out, with -ed.
Wrong: Please wipe out the table after dinner.
Right: Please wipe the table after dinner.
To clean a surface, just say wipe. Wipe out usually means destroy.
Synonyms and opposites of wipe out
Words close to it, and words that mean the opposite.
Similar
- exhaustedthe neutral word for extremely tired
- destroydamage something so badly it no longer exists
- wear outmake someone tired, or damage something by using it
Opposite
- full of energynot tired at all
- rebuildbuild again after something was destroyed
Wipe out quiz
Three quick questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why.
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1One big wave ___ the whole sandcastle.
Wipe out means destroy something completely.
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2Choose the right sentence.
A pronoun goes between wipe and out.
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3“Two days of moving boxes completely wiped me out.” How does the speaker feel?
Wipe someone out (informal) means make them extremely tired.
Find your level
The phrasal verbs test adapts as you answer, from A2 to C1, and shows which ones you miss.
- get outA2leave a car, a room or a building
- take outA2remove something from a bag, a box, a pocket or a place
- put outB1stop a fire, a cigarette or a light from burning or shining
- go outA1leave your home to do something fun
- come outB1become available to buy, watch or read, like a book or film
- look outB1be careful, because something bad may happen
- give outB1give something to each of a number of people
- turn outB2happen or end in a particular way
Wipe out FAQ
Questions people ask about wipe out.
What does I’m wiped out mean?
It is informal for I’m extremely tired. After the wedding we were all wiped out.
What is a wipeout?
In surfing, skiing or skating, a wipeout is a bad fall. In sport news, it can also mean a very big defeat.
Is wipe out formal?
The destroy meaning is neutral and common in news: Floods wiped out the harvest. The tired and fall meanings are informal.
Use wipe out in real conversations
In Slova you learn new words with picture cards, then use them when you talk about the things you love. A few minutes a day, at your level.