Meaning
Wipe out means to completely destroy, eliminate, or remove something or someone. It can also mean to fall down hard (especially in surfing or sports).
Grammar and Usage
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Verb type: Phrasal verb (transitive or intransitive)
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Structure: wipe out + noun / be wiped out
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Common meanings:
- To destroy or eliminate completely → “The disease wiped out half the population.”
- To exhaust or tire someone completely → “The long hike really wiped me out.”
- To fall or crash badly (informal, especially in sports) → “He wiped out while surfing a huge wave.”
Common Phrases
- wipe out a debt — to pay off or eliminate debt
- wipe out a species — to make an animal species extinct
- completely wiped out — totally exhausted or destroyed
- wipe out the competition — to defeat opponents completely
Collocations
- wipe out + disease / population / debt / species / enemy
- completely / almost / totally wiped out
- be wiped out by something
Examples
- The tsunami wiped out several coastal villages.
- A new vaccine could wipe out the virus entirely.
- I’m completely wiped out after working 12 hours straight.
- The army was nearly wiped out in the battle.
- He wiped out on his skateboard and broke his arm.
- The company’s debts were wiped out after the merger.
- Deforestation is wiping out natural habitats.
- The marathon runners looked totally wiped out at the finish line.
Synonyms or Related
- destroy
- eradicate
- eliminate
- annihilate
- exhaust
- crash (informal, for the “fall” meaning)
Antonym
- preserve
- protect
- survive
- restore