▸ wipe up PHRASAL VERB If you wipe up dirt or liquid from something, you remove it using a cloth. □ [V n P ] I spilled my coffee all over the table and Mom leaned across me to wipe it up. □ [V P n] Wipe up spills immediately.
wip|er /wa I pə r / (wipers ) N‑COUNT [usu pl] A wiper is a device that wipes rain from a vehicle's windscreen.
wire ◆◇◇ /wa I ə r / (wires , wiring , wired )
1 N‑VAR A wire is a long thin piece of metal that is used to fasten things or to carry electric current. □ …fine copper wire. □ …gadgets which detect electrical wires, pipes and timbers in walls.
2 N‑COUNT A wire is a cable which carries power or signals from one place to another. □ I ripped out the phone wire that ran through to his office. □ …the voltage of the overhead wires.
3 VERB If you wire something such as a building or piece of equipment, you put wires inside it so that electricity or signals can pass into or through it. □ [V n] …learning to wire and plumb the house herself. □ [be V -ed + for ] Each of the homes has a security system and is wired for cable television. □ [V -ed] …a badly wired appliance. ● PHRASAL VERB Wire up means the same as wire . □ [V P n] He was helping wire up the Channel Tunnel last season. □ [V n P ] Wire the thermometers up to trigger off an alarm bell if the temperature drops. [Also V n P to/into n]
4 N‑COUNT A wire is the same as a telegram . [mainly AM ]
5 VERB If you wire an amount of money to a person or place, you tell a bank to send it to the person or place using a telegram message. [mainly AM ] □ [V n n] I'm wiring you some money. □ [V n prep] They arranged to wire the money from the United States. [Also V n]
6 PHRASE If something goes to the wire , it continues until the last possible moment. [mainly JOURNALISM ] □ Negotiators again worked right down to the wire to reach an agreement.
7 → see also barbed wire , high wire , hot-wire , live wire
wired /wa I ə r d/
1 ADJ [usu v-link ADJ ] If someone is wired , they are tense, nervous, and unable to relax. [mainly AM , INFORMAL ] □ Tonight he is manic, wired and uptight.
2 ADJ A computer, organization, or person that is wired has the equipment that is necessary to use the internet. [INFORMAL ] □ Once more people are wired, the potential to change the mainstream media will be huge.
3 ADJ [usu ADJ n] Wired is used to describe material or clothing that has wires sewn into it in order to keep it stiff. □ …a length of wired ribbon.
wire|less /wa I ə r ləs/ (wirelesses )
1 ADJ [ADJ n] Wireless technology uses radio waves rather than electricity and therefore does not require any wires. □ …the fast-growing wireless communication market.
2 N‑COUNT A wireless or wireless set is a radio. [BRIT , OLD-FASHIONED ]
Wi re|less Ap|pli|ca|tion Pro to|col → see WAP
wire|tap /wa I ə r tæp/ (wiretaps , wiretapping , wiretapped ) also wire-tap VERB If someone wiretaps your phone, they attach a special device to the line so that they can secretly listen to your conversations. [AM ] □ [V n] The coach said his club had wire-tapped the hotel room of a player during a road trip. ● N‑COUNT Wiretap is also a noun. □ …recordings of phone conversations that can have been obtained only by illegal wiretaps. ● wire|tapping N‑UNCOUNT □ …allegations of wiretapping. [in BRIT, use tap ]
wi re woo l N‑UNCOUNT Wire wool consists of very thin pieces of wire twisted together, often in the form of small pads. These are used to clean wooden and metal objects. [BRIT ] in AM, use steel wool
wir|ing /wa I ə r I ŋ/ N‑UNCOUNT The wiring in a building or machine is the system of wires that supply electricity to the different parts of it.
wiry /wa I ə ri/
1 ADJ Someone who is wiry is rather thin but is also strong. □ His body is wiry and athletic.
2 ADJ Something such as hair or grass that is wiry is stiff and rough to touch. □ Her wiry hair was pushed up on top of her head in an untidy bun.
wis|dom /w I zdəm/ (wisdoms )
1 N‑UNCOUNT Wisdom is the ability to use your experience and knowledge in order to make sensible decisions or judgments. □ …the patience and wisdom that comes from old age. □ …a great man, who spoke words of great wisdom.
2 N‑VAR Wisdom is the store of knowledge that a society or culture has collected over a long period of time. □ …this church's original Semitic wisdom, religion and faith.
3 N‑SING If you talk about the wisdom of a particular decision or action, you are talking about how sensible it is. □ [+ of ] Many Lithuanians have expressed doubts about the wisdom of the decision.
4 N‑VAR You can use wisdom to refer to ideas that are accepted by a large number of people. □ Health education wisdom in the U.K. differs from that of the United States. □ Unchallenged wisdoms flow swiftly among the middle classes. ● PHRASE The conventional wisdom about something is the generally accepted view of it. □ …the conventional wisdom that soccer is a minor sport in America.
wi s|dom tooth (wisdom teeth ) N‑COUNT Your wisdom teeth are the four large teeth at the back of your mouth which usually grow much later than your other teeth.