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• washed-up
  washed-up

  adjective

  done for; having failed completely.
• washed up
  washed up

  adjective

  no longer useful, successful, hopeful, etc

washed-up

American  

[wosht-uhp, wawsht-] / ˈwɒʃtˈʌp, ˈwɔʃt- /

adjective

Informal.

1. done for; having failed completely.

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washed up British  

adjective

1. no longer useful, successful, hopeful, etc

   our hopes for the new deal are all washed up

2. exhausted

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washed up Idioms  

1. see wash up, def. 3.

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Etymology

Origin of washed-up

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

washed-up washed up

They will be promoted on social media and television by washed-up athletes and unscrupulous influencers paid well for their perfidy.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026

And, most importantly, as a washed-up hipster living in central Brooklyn, I am surrounded by fans of Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur—two teams I also know nothing about—and I simply refuse to conform to that coalition.

From Slate ● Aug. 28, 2026

The comedian stars in this comedically spotty 10-part series following a washed-up golfer as he tries to make a comeback.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026

Deborah sees Ava as entitled and self-righteous, Ava sees Deborah as washed-up and boring.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2026

There were plenty of washed-up logs and sticks on the island, and under the bridge the wood was bone-dry.

From "The Honest Truth" by Dan Gemeinhart

Residents and wild swimmers were horrified to find them washed up on Saturday, appearing to gasp for air, in the River Wensum through Norwich.

From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2026

The carcasses of malnourished sea lions and whales washed up on beaches.

From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026

“It looks like ‘chipflation’ has washed up on U.K. shores; portable device prices spiked by 22% month-on-month, the biggest monthly change since the series began in 2015,” the economist says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

Wind gusts were so strong at Island Bay that two women were knocked off their feet as waves washed up over the road, an AFP journalist saw.

From Barron's ● Jun. 9, 2026

Then I smelled the chicken roasting and I ran off to get washed up.

From "Root Magic" by Eden Royce