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wet wipe

wet wipe

3 1.3
A small soft disposable cloth made slightly wet to clean skin or surfaces
  • noun
  • /wɛt waɪp/
translation icon : toallita húmeda
  • She used a wet wipe to clean her hands after eating the messy snack.
  • a disposable wet wipe

And when they're really young, little things drove me insane, like wet wipes.

Examples

  • I brought wet wipes.

  • Have a wet wipe.

  • Just going to get a wet wipe and clean the inside of here.

  • - Can I get like a wet wipe or something?

  • Anybody have a wet wipe?

  • Use a wet wipe or soap and water to keep your glasses clean.

    Blog text (19)
  • So I'm just using a wet wipe and I'm going to take off the cake under my eyes.

  • We washed ourselves with wet wipes.

  • She knows this will take a while and thinks of the wet wipes in her purse.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • OK, now I've got a wet wipe here and I'm just going to like touch my lashes with it.

Synonyms

wipe
vswet wipe
35 1.0

A small piece of soft material used for cleaning skin or surfaces

is moistened and ready for cleaning skin or surfaces
washcloth
vswet wipe
  • US
22 1.0

A small square cloth to wash your face and body

is disposable and pre-moistened for quick cleaning of skin or surfaces
towelette
vswet wipe
  • US
8 3.9

A small disposable moist cloth or paper for cleaning hands and surfaces

is the same but usually a small moistened cloth rather than a paper sheet
face cloth
vswet wipe
  • UK
1 1.0

A small soft towel you use to wash your face or body

is disposable and moistened for quick cleaning of skin or surfaces
cleaning cloth
vswet wipe
1 1.0

A small piece of soft material used to wipe surfaces and remove dirt or oil

is gentler, disposable, and moistened for cleaning skin as well as surfaces
facecloth
vswet wipe
  • UK
1.0

A small soft cloth for washing your face

is disposable and pre-moistened for cleaning skin or surfaces
sponge cloth
vswet wipe
3.2

A soft cloth that soaks up water for cleaning and drying surfaces

is disposable and moistened for quick skin or surface cleaning
wiping cloth
vswet wipe
2.1

A piece of cloth for cleaning grease, oil, or dirt in workshops

is for lighter personal or household cleaning and is disposable and moistened
cleaning pad
vswet wipe
1.1

A small flat piece of cloth or sponge that you use to rub dirt off surfaces like a stove

is a soft moistened single-use cloth for gentle wiping rather than scrubbing

How Hygienic

bidet
13 7.3
wet wipe
3 1.3
toilet paper
100 1.0

Surface Forms

wet wipe singular
wet wipes plural

Morphology

wet + wipe

The meaning is directly and predictably built from 'wet' (moistened) + 'wipe' (a piece of material for cleaning): a wipe that is wet or moistened for cleaning. This adjective+noun composition is a regular, cross-linguistically common pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both words would readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

The noun wet wipe is very literal: wet means 'not dry' and wipe is a quick rub to 'clean' something. Picture pulling a small wet cloth from a pack to wipe a baby's face or your hands, and you can see why it means 'a small cloth you throw away after use that is wet and used for cleaning'.