washed-up

[ wosht-uhp, wawsht- ]
See synonyms for washed-up on Thesaurus.com
adjectiveInformal.
  1. done for; having failed completely.

Origin of washed-up

1
First recorded in 1920–25

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use washed-up in a sentence

  • The servants had cleared away and washed up the dinner-things, and had dined themselves.

    Hilda Lessways | Arnold Bennett
  • He took the things noiselessly into the kitchen, shut the door, and master of the kitchen and scullery washed up.

  • So I washed up the buggy and hitched up the horse and come right out.

    Scattergood Baines | Clarence Budington Kelland
  • Yes, I'm sorry to say that one of the bodies washed up is that of the person who sat next to you.

    Studies in love and in terror | Marie Belloc Lowndes
  • Together they washed up the dishes, then Robert hung the dish-towel out of the window to dry, and took off his apron.

    The White Shield | Myrtle Reed

British Dictionary definitions for washed up

washed up

adjective(washed-up when prenominal) informal, mainly US, Canadian and NZ
  1. no longer useful, successful, hopeful, etc: our hopes for the new deal are all washed up

  2. exhausted

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with washed-up

washed-up

see wash up, def. 3.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.