A wiper is a device that clears water, snow, or dirt from a surface by sweeping back and forth. The most familiar kind are windshield wipers on cars: rubber blades attached to metal arms that swish across the glass to push away rain, giving the driver a clear view of the road ahead. Without wipers, driving in a rainstorm would be much harder because water would blur everything outside.

Before windshield wipers became standard equipment in cars around 1920, drivers had to stop frequently during rainstorms to manually clear their windshields. The invention of automatic wipers made driving much safer in bad weather. Today's wipers can adjust their speed, going slowly in light rain or rapidly during heavy downpours.

You might use a dishcloth to wipe dishes in the kitchen, or wipe your shoes on a doormat. In all cases, wiping involves a sweeping or rubbing motion that removes unwanted moisture or dirt from a surface.