to wipe away
47
2.0
- phrasal verb
- Overwhelmed, I wiped away the tears as I listened to the Christmas carols.
- wipe away the tears
Loading YouTube…
Watch on YouTubeShe says as she wipes away an eye booger from her eye.
- She says as she wipes away an eye booger from her eye.
- When the big tsunami comes and wipes all your savings away, if you have any.
- We just want to wipe away the powder.
- So now we're going to wipe away any fallout.
- I find that if I apply blush, just diffusing it tends to wipe away too much foundation.
- The idea was that you'd wipe away all the old stuff and rebuild on, on solid foundations.
- Then you will have on the inside, it will detect sadness and tears and it'll come right here and it'll wipe away the tears.
- To just say we're going to wipe away a bunch of student debt is patently unfair for all of those.
- You shall wipe away with a single swipe the spider web that stretched into violin strings in your heart.
- All right, I guess you could you could wipe it away and devalue the dollar.
Examples
-
The sky was dark when she wiped away her tears and went inside.
Fiction book (1993) -
After finishing the painting, he took a cloth to wipe away any smudges on the canvas.
-
Her hand tried to wipe away something from her face and hair.
Fiction book (1992) -
"And God shall wipe away all the tears from their eyes...
-
..and wipe away tears from our eyes.
-
Watch this and God will wipe away every tear from their eye.
-
So I'm just going to wipe away the powder.
-
Tears were still streaming down his face, and he wiped them away with the back of his hand.
Fiction book (1993) -
With her fingers, she wiped away the tears from under her eyes and stroked her hair.
Fiction book (1993) -
Upstairs, she snuggled next to him, and he wiped away her tears.
Fiction book (1994)
Synonyms
347
4.2
Destroy something so nothing is left
145
1.0
To clean something by rubbing it hard with a brush and water
131
1.0
Remove dirt or marks from a surface by rubbing with a cloth
107
1.0
To clean a floor or surface by brushing away dirt with a broom
83
1.0
To remove small dry particles from a surface by wiping or brushing
82
1.0
To wash something with water to remove soap or dirt
71
1.0
To clean a floor with a long handle and wet cloth
70
2.1
Water or another liquid carries something away
61
1.0
To remove something from a surface by washing with water or soap
52
1.0
To remove dirt or mud from a surface
43
3.8
To get rid of something completely so it no longer exists
41
2.0
Clean something using water to remove dirt or stains
39
4.0
Remove an outside layer or covering from something to show what is under it
36
4.0
To clean a surface or put liquid on it using a cotton stick
25
1.8
To take things away from a place to make it tidy
24
3.0
Remove things from a surface to make it empty or clean
19
1.6
Remove marks, writing, or digital files so they are no longer visible
15
2.6
To remove liquid or dirt from a floor with a cloth
13
1.6
To wash something with water to remove soap or dirt
12
1.8
To clean a surface using a cloth or towel to remove a spill
9
2.5
To remove dirt or stains by rubbing hard with a brush
8
4.0
Draw lines through writing so you cannot read it
8
3.4
Come off a surface when something moves against it
7
4.3
Erase a mark by using an eraser or cloth until it disappears
2
3.7
Take oil or fat from the top of a liquid using a spoon
2
2.9
Get rid of a mark on clothes or other things by cleaning
1
3.4
Remove a mark by moving a cloth or hand over it many times
1
2.6
To rub a surface with a wet sponge to clean it
1
4.2
To remove dust or crumbs quickly with a light movement
1
4.7
To remove liquid from a surface by wiping it with a cloth
Remove marks or stains from a surface so it looks clean
Antonyms
How Thorough
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to remove by wiping' is directly and predictably built from 'wipe' (to rub away dirt or moisture) plus 'away' (indicating removal or disappearance). This verb + particle composition follows a common and cross-linguistic pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both words would readily infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
The phrasal verb wipe away comes from the simple picture of using a cloth to rub something off and push it away. When you wipe and move it away, you clear dirt, marks, or tears, so the phrase means 'to remove' or 'get rid of' something.