Translation guide
The English phrase "wipe out" has several distinct meanings. This guide covers the most common ones for learners: destroying or eliminating something, cleaning or erasing, exhausting someone, and falling or failing dramatically. Each meaning has different natural Japanese expressions.
To cause extinction. Used for wiping out species or completely eradicating something.
その病気は天然痘を絶滅させた。
The disease wiped out smallpox.
To sweep away or clean out. Often used for wiping out crime, corruption, or undesirable elements.
警察は街から犯罪を一掃した。
The police wiped out crime from the city.
To erase or wipe out completely, often used metaphorically for memories or traces.
その記憶を消し去りたい。
I want to wipe out that memory.
To remove dirt, marks, or writing by wiping.
To wipe off or wipe away. Used for cleaning surfaces.
テーブルの汚れを拭き取った。
I wiped out the dirt on the table.
To erase (writing, data). Can also mean to turn off (lights).
ホワイトボードの文字を消した。
I wiped out the writing on the whiteboard.
To wipe away completely, often used for stains or figurative things like doubts.
To make someone extremely tired.
To exhaust completely. Often used in passive form (疲れ果てる) to describe being wiped out.
その仕事で彼は疲れ果てた。
The job wiped him out.
To make someone dog-tired. Casual. Often used as へとへとになる (to become wiped out).
引っ越しでへとへとになった。
I was wiped out from moving.
To make someone worn out, physically or mentally. Similar to へとへと but can imply limpness.
長旅でくたくたになった。
The long journey wiped me out.
To fall off a surfboard, skateboard, etc., or to fail spectacularly.
Loanword from English 'wipeout', used in surfing/skating contexts. Can be used as a noun or verb (ワイプアウトする).
彼は大波でワイプアウトした。
He wiped out on a big wave.
To fail big time. General term for a spectacular failure, not limited to sports.
プレゼンで大失敗した。
I wiped out during the presentation.
To fall over, tumble. More formal or descriptive for falling off a board.
スケボーで転倒した。
I wiped out on my skateboard.
English 'wipe out' meaning 'exhaust' cannot be translated as 拭き取る or 消す. Use fatigue expressions like 疲れ果てる or へとへとになる.
全滅 (ぜんめつ) means annihilation of a group (e.g., army, team). 絶滅 (ぜつめつ) means extinction of a species or complete eradication. 全滅 is more common for 'wipe out' in military/game contexts.
彼の言葉で不安がぬぐい去られた。
His words wiped out my anxiety.