wash

[ wosh, wawsh ]

/ wɒʃ, wɔʃ /

verb (used with object)

to apply water or some other liquid to (something or someone) for the purpose of cleansing; cleanse by dipping, rubbing, or scrubbing in water or some other liquid.

to remove (dirt, stains, paint, or any matter) by or as by the action of water (usually followed by out, off, etc.): to wash grime out of clothing.

to free from spiritual defilement or from sin, guilt, etc.: to be washed whiter than the snow.

to bathe, wet, or moisten with water or other liquid: a meadow newly washed with morning dew.

to flow through, over, or against: a shore or cliff washed by waves.

to carry, bring, remove, or deposit (something) by means of water or any liquid, or as the water or liquid does (often followed by up, down, or along): The storm washed the boat up on the shore. A sailor was washed overboard.

to wear or diminish, as water does by flowing over or against a surface (often followed by out or away): The rain had washed away the lettering on the stone.

(of water) to form by flowing over and eroding a surface: The flood had washed a new channel through the bottom lands.

Mining.

to subject (earth or ore) to the action or force of water in order to separate valuable material.
to separate (valuable material) in this way.

to purify (a gas or gaseous mixture) by passage through or over a liquid.

to cover with a watery or thin coat of color.

to overlay with a thin coat or deposit of metal: to wash brass with gold.

Slang. launder(def 3).

verb (used without object)

to wash oneself: After using the insecticide spray they washed completely.

to wash clothes: Monday is the day we wash.

to cleanse anything with or in water or other liquid.

to undergo washing without injury, especially shrinking or fading: fabrics guaranteed to wash.

Informal. to be found true, valid, or real when tested or closely scrutinized; stand being put to the proof: His honesty won't wash.

to be carried or driven by water (often followed by along or ashore): The boat had washed ashore in the night.

to flow or beat with a lapping sound, as waves on a shore.

to move along in or as in waves, or with a rushing movement, as water.

to be eroded, as by a stream or by rainfall: a hillside that washes frequently.

to be removed by the action of water (often followed by away): Much of the topsoil washes away each spring.

noun

the act or process of washing with water or other liquid: to give the car a wash.

a quantity of clothes, linens, etc., washed, or to be washed, at one time: a heavy wash.

a liquid with which something is washed, wetted, colored, overspread, etc.: She gave the room a wash of pale blue.

the flow, sweep, dash, or breaking of water: The wash of the waves had drenched us.

the sound made by this: listening to the wash of the Atlantic.

water moving along in waves or with a rushing movement: the wash of the incoming tide.

the rough or broken water left behind a moving ship, boat, etc.; wake: The little boats tossed about in the wash from the liner's propellers.

Aeronautics. the disturbance in the air left behind by a moving airplane or any of its parts: wing wash.

any of various liquids for grooming or cosmetic purposes: a hair wash.

a lotion or other liquid having medicinal properties, as an antiseptic solution or the like (often used in combination): to apply wash to a skinned knee; mouthwash; eyewash.

Mining. minerals from which valuable material can be extracted by washing.

the wearing away of the shore by breaking waves.

a tract of land washed by the action of the sea or a river.

a marsh, fen, or bog.

a small stream or shallow pool.

a shallow arm of the sea or a shallow part of a river.

a depression or channel formed by flowing water.

Geology. alluvial matter transferred and deposited by flowing water.

Also called dry wash. Western U.S. the dry bed of an intermittent stream.

a broad, thin layer of color applied by a continuous movement of the brush, as in water-color painting.

Also called watershed, weathering. Architecture.

an upper surface so inclined as to shed rain water from a building.
any member of a building having such a surface.

Metalworking. Also washing. a thin coat of metal applied in liquid form: a gold wash.

waste liquid matter, refuse, food, etc., from the kitchen, as for hogs; swill (often used in combination): hogwash.

washy or weak liquor or liquid food.

the fermented wort from which the spirit is extracted in distilling.

Informal. an action that yields neither gain nor loss: The company's financial position is a wash compared with last year.

adjective

capable of being washed without shrinking, fading, etc.; washable: a wash dress.

Verb Phrases

wash down,

to clean completely by washing: to wash down a car.
to facilitate the swallowing of (food or medicine) by drinking water or other liquid: to wash down a meal with a glass of wine.

wash out,

to be removed by washing: The stain wouldn't wash out.
to damage or demolish by the action of water: The embankment was washed out by the storm.
Informal. to fail to qualify or continue; be eliminated: to wash out of graduate school.
to become dim, indistinct, or blurred: The face of the watch washes out in sunlight.

wash up,

to wash one's face and hands: Aren't you going to wash up? Dinner is almost ready.
to wash (dishes, flatware, pots, etc.): I'll wash up the dishes, don't bother. We had someone in to wash up after the party.
to end, especially ignominiously (usually in the passive): After that performance, he's all washed up as a singer.

Idioms for wash

come out in the wash,

to have a good or satisfactory result; turn out eventually: The situation may look hopeless now, but it will all come out in the wash.
to be revealed; become known.

wash one's hands of. hand(def 90).

Origin of wash

before 900; Middle English washen (v.), Old English wascan (cognate with Dutch wasschen, German waschen, Old Norse vaska) < Germanic *watskan, equivalent to *wat- (root of water) + *-sk- v. suffix + *-an infinitive suffix

SYNONYMS FOR wash

1 clean, lave, rinse, launder, mop, swab.

4 bedew.

5 bathe.

24 ablution, cleansing, bathing.

37 swamp, morass.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR wash ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM wash

pre·wash, noun, verb (used with object) re·wash, verb un·der·wash, verb well-washed, adjective

Words nearby wash

wary, warzone, was, wasabi, wasatch range, wash, wash dirty linen (laundry) in public, wash down, wash drawing, wash goods, wash house

Definition for wash out (2 of 2)

washout

[ wosh-out, wawsh- ]

/ ˈwɒʃˌaʊt, ˈwɔʃ- /

noun

a washing out of earth, gravel, etc., by water, as from an embankment or a roadway by heavy rain or by a flash flood.

the hole, break, or erosion produced by such a washing out.

Also wash-out. Aeronautics. a warp in an airfoil that gives a decrease in the angle of attack toward the tip. Compare washin.

rainout.

Informal. an utter failure.

Informal. a person who has failed a course of training or study: air force washouts.

Origin of washout

First recorded in 1870–75; noun use of verb phrase wash out

British Dictionary definitions for wash out (1 of 3)

wash out

verb (adverb)

(tr) to wash (the inside of something) so as to remove (dirt)

Also: wash off to remove or be removed by washing grass stains don't wash out easily

(tr) to cancel or abandon (a sporting event)

noun washout

geology

erosion of the earth's surface by the action of running water
a narrow channel produced by this erosion

informal

a total failure or disaster
an incompetent person

a sporting or social event that is cancelled due to rain

aeronautics a decrease in the angle of attack of an aircraft wing towards the wing tip

British Dictionary definitions for wash out (2 of 3)

Wash

/ (wɒʃ) /

noun

the Wash a shallow inlet of the North Sea on the E coast of England, between Lincolnshire and Norfolk

British Dictionary definitions for wash out (3 of 3)

wash

/ (wɒʃ) /

verb

to apply water or other liquid, usually with soap, to (oneself, clothes, etc) in order to cleanse

(tr; often foll by away, from, off, etc) to remove by the application of water or other liquid and usually soap she washed the dirt from her clothes

(intr) to be capable of being washed without damage or loss of colour

(of an animal such as a cat) to cleanse (itself or another animal) by licking

(tr) to cleanse from pollution or defilement

(tr) to make wet or moist

(often foll by away, etc) to move or be moved by water the flood washed away the bridge

(esp of waves) to flow or sweep against or over (a surface or object), often with a lapping sound

to form by erosion or be eroded the stream washed a ravine in the hill

(tr) to apply a thin coating of paint, metal, etc, to

(tr) to separate (ore, precious stones, etc) from (gravel, earth, or sand) by immersion in water

(intr; usually used with a negative) informal, mainly British to admit of testing or proof your excuses won't wash with me this time

wash one's hands

euphemistic to go to the lavatory
(usually foll by of) to refuse to have anything more to do (with)

noun

the act or process of washing; ablution

a quantity of articles washed together

a preparation or thin liquid used as a coating or in washing a thin wash of paint; a hair wash

med

any medicinal or soothing lotion for application to a part of the body
(in combination)an eyewash

the flow of water, esp waves, against a surface, or the sound made by such a flow

the technique of making wash drawings
See wash drawing

the erosion of soil by the action of flowing water

a mass of alluvial material transported and deposited by flowing water

land that is habitually washed by tidal or river waters

the disturbance in the air or water produced at the rear of an aircraft, boat, or other moving object

gravel, earth, etc, from which valuable minerals may be washed

waste liquid matter or liquid refuse, esp as fed to pigs; swill

an alcoholic liquid resembling strong beer, resulting from the fermentation of wort in the production of whisky

come out in the wash informal to become known or apparent in the course of time

Word Origin for wash

Old English wæscan, waxan; related to Old High German wascan; see water

Medical definitions for wash out

wash

[ wŏsh ]

v.

To cleanse, using water or other liquid, usually with soap, detergent, or bleach, by immersing, dipping, rubbing, or scrubbing.

To make moist or wet.

n.

The act or process of cleansing or washing.

A solution used to cleanse or bathe a part.

Idioms and Phrases with wash out (1 of 2)

wash out

Remove or be removed by washing; also, cause to fade by laundering. For example, Give it to me; I'll wash out that stain, or The bleach has really washed out that bright print. [Mid-1700s]

Wear away or be worn away by the flow of water, as in The river rose and washed out the dam, or The road has completely washed out. [Mid-1700s]

Deplete or be depleted of energy, as in Working on her feet all day just washed her out, or I just washed out after that long tennis match. [Mid-1800s]

Eliminate or be eliminated as unsatisfactory, as in He washed out of medical school after just one year, or After only two months as chairman I washed out. [Colloquial; early 1900s]

Cancel owing to bad weather, as in The picnic was washed out. [Colloquial; early 1900s] Also see washed out.

Idioms and Phrases with wash out (2 of 2)

wash

In addition to the idioms beginning with wash

wash down
washed out
washed up
wash one's dirty linen in public
wash one's hands of
wash out
wash up

also see:

come out in the wash
won't wash

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

wash

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

noun

adjective

Verb Phrases

Idioms for wash

Origin of wash

SYNONYMS FOR wash

OTHER WORDS FROM wash

Words nearby wash

Definition for wash out (2 of 2)

noun

Origin of washout

British Dictionary definitions for wash out (1 of 3)

verb (adverb)

noun washout

British Dictionary definitions for wash out (2 of 3)

noun

British Dictionary definitions for wash out (3 of 3)

verb

noun

Word Origin for wash

Medical definitions for wash out

v.

n.

Idioms and Phrases with wash out (1 of 2)

Idioms and Phrases with wash out (2 of 2)

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

wash

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

noun

adjective

Verb Phrases

Idioms for wash

Origin of wash

SYNONYMS FOR wash

OTHER WORDS FROM wash

Words nearby wash

Definition for wash out (2 of 2)

noun

Origin of washout

Words related to wash out

British Dictionary definitions for wash out (1 of 3)

verb (adverb)

noun washout

British Dictionary definitions for wash out (2 of 3)

noun

British Dictionary definitions for wash out (3 of 3)

verb

noun

Word Origin for wash

Medical definitions for wash out

v.

n.

Idioms and Phrases with wash out (1 of 2)

Idioms and Phrases with wash out (2 of 2)