Wipe vs Swab - What's the difference?
wipe | swab |
To move an object over, maintaining contact, with the intention of removing some substance from the surface. (cf. rub)
* 1900 , , (The Wonderful Wizard of Oz)
To remove by rubbing; to rub off; to obliterate; usually followed by away'', ''off'', or ''out .
* (rfdate) Milton
(obsolete) To cheat; to defraud; to trick; usually followed by out .
* (rfdate) Robynson (More's Utopia)
(computing) To erase.
(plumbing) To make (a joint, as between pieces of lead pipe), by surrounding the junction with a mass of solder, applied in a plastic condition by means of a rag with which the solder is shaped by rubbing.
The act of wiping something.
A soft piece of cloth or cloth-like material used for wiping.
A kind of film transition where one shot replaces another by travelling from one side of the frame to another or with a special shape.
(medicine) a small piece of soft, absorbent material, such as gauze, used to clean wounds, apply medicine, or take samples of body fluids. Often attached to a stick or wire to aid access.
A sample taken with a swab (1).
A piece of material used for cleaning or sampling other items like musical instruments or guns.
A mop, especially on a ship.
(slang) A sailor; a swabby.
To use a swab on something, or clean something with a swab.
* , chapter=6
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In transitive terms the difference between wipe and swab
is that wipe is to remove by rubbing; to rub off; to obliterate; usually followed by away, off, or out while swab is to use a swab on something, or clean something with a swab.wipe
English
(wikipedia wipe)Etymology 1
From (etyl) (m), from (etyl) . More at (l), (l).Verb
(wip)- Melissa wiped her glasses with her shirt.
- I wiped the sweat from my brow with the back of my hand.
- Tom started to wipe his eyes.
- So they passed through the Palace Gates and were led into a big room with a green carpet and lovely green furniture set with emeralds. The soldier made them all wipe their feet upon a green mat before entering this room, and when they were seated he said politely
- Some natural tears they dropped, but wiped them soon.
- (Spenser)
- If they by coveyne [covin] or gile be wiped beside their goods.
- I accidentally wiped my hard drive.
Noun
(en noun)- multiple wipes of a computer's hard disk
Derived terms
* asswipe * baby wipe * wet wipe * wipe away * wipe off * wipe out * wipeout * wipe somebody's eye * wipe the floor * wipe the slate clean * wiperEtymology 2
Compare (etyl) (m), (etyl) .swab
English
Noun
(en noun)Synonyms
* (sailor) swabbyVerb
(swabb)Mr. Pratt's Patients, passage=He had one hand on the bounce bottle—and he'd never let go of that since he got back to the table—but he had a handkerchief in the other and was swabbing his deadlights with it.}}