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Swipe vs Wipe - What's the difference?

swipe | wipe |

In transitive terms the difference between swipe and wipe

is that swipe is to scan or register by sliding something through a reader while wipe is to remove by rubbing; to rub off; to obliterate; usually followed by away, off, or out.

swipe

English

Verb

(swip)
  • To steal or snatch.
    • Hey! Who swiped my lunch?
  • * 1968 , , 00:48:18:
    • "Maybe I could swipe some Tintex from the five-and-dime."
  • To scan or register by sliding something through a reader.
    • He swiped his card at the door.
  • To grab or bat quickly.
    • The cat swiped at the shoelace.

    Noun

  • (countable) A quick grab, bat, or other motion with the hand or paw; A sweep.
  • (countable) A strong blow given with a sweeping motion, as with a bat or club.
  • (countable, informal) A rough guess; an estimate or swag.
    • Take a swipe at the answer, even if you're not sure.
  • (uncountable) Poor, weak beer; small beer.

    • Anagrams

    *

    wipe

    English

    (wikipedia wipe)

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl) (m), from (etyl) . More at (l), (l).

    Verb

    (wip)
  • To move an object over, maintaining contact, with the intention of removing some substance from the surface. (cf. rub)
    • 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.
  • * 1900 , , (The Wonderful Wizard of Oz)
    • 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
  • To remove by rubbing; to rub off; to obliterate; usually followed by away'', ''off'', or ''out .
  • * (rfdate) Milton
    • Some natural tears they dropped, but wiped them soon.
  • (obsolete) To cheat; to defraud; to trick; usually followed by out .
    • (Spenser)
  • * (rfdate) Robynson (More's Utopia)
    • If they by coveyne [covin] or gile be wiped beside their goods.
  • (computing) To erase.
    • I accidentally wiped my hard drive.
  • (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.

    • Noun

    (en noun)
  • The act of wiping something.
    • multiple wipes of a computer's hard disk
  • 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.

    • 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 * wiper

    Etymology 2

    Compare (etyl) (m), (etyl) .

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • The lapwing.