1 B1 idiomatic neutral
To completely destroy or eliminate something or someone.
"The forest fire wiped out three villages before it was brought under control."
separable
wipe out
B1 neutral separable transitive/intransitive
To completely destroy, eliminate, or exhaust something or someone.
In plain English
To completely destroy something so there is nothing left, or to make someone very tired.
What does "wipe out" mean?
4 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B1 idiomatic informal
(informal) To make someone feel completely exhausted.
"That ten-kilometre run completely wiped me out."
separable
3 B1 neutral
To eliminate savings, a debt, or financial resources completely.
"The medical bills wiped out their entire savings in a matter of months."
separable
4 B2 idiomatic informal
(surfing/sport, informal) To fall off a surfboard or have a dramatic crash or tumble.
"He wiped out on the biggest wave of the morning and lost his board."
inseparable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To wipe a surface completely clean — the metaphor of total erasure extends to destruction.
Actually means
To completely destroy something so there is nothing left, or to make someone very tired.
Usage tip
Common across many contexts: military ('wipe out an enemy force'), disease ('wipe out a species'), financial ('wipe out savings'), and informal meaning of exhausting someone. The informal 'wiped out' for tired is very common in spoken American English.
Words that pair with "wipe out"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
savings species competition enemy debt population
How to conjugate "wipe out"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
wipe out
I/you/we/they
3rd person
wipes out
he/she/it
Past simple
wiped out
yesterday
Past participle
wiped out
have + pp
-ing form
wiping out
continuous
Hear "wipe out" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "wipe out" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Keep exploring
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