washout
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.
Origin of washout
1Words Nearby washout
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use washout in a sentence
The weekend won’t be a washout, but we’ll run a chance for showers and storms both days.
PM Update: Scattered strong storms may produce flooding through evening | Ian Livingston | August 5, 2022 | Washington PostHis second was a washout because of the coronavirus pandemic.
A college pitcher is trying to turn the theft of his prosthetic arm into a charity drive | Cindy Boren | May 7, 2021 | Washington PostOn Wednesday's Late Show With David Letterman, Tom Brokaw dismissed Snowden as "a high school dropout who is a military washout."
When the washout bowl was introduced it was considered perfection.
Elements of Plumbing | Samuel DibbleHe hurried down the track west of a curve which was a few hundred feet beyond the washout, and saw the train coming at full speed.
Facing the World | Horatio Alger
One day as they lay in a washout, Wolf-Voice pointed to columns of dust far to the south.
John Ermine of the Yellowstone | Frederic RemingtonRight here there was a small washout in 84 the road, and Bob overlooked it.
Ruth Fielding At Sunrise Farm | Alice B. EmersonIt was a mile or more to the washout in the road, but the excitement made him keen for the test.
The Daughter of Anderson Crow | George Barr McCutcheon
British Dictionary definitions for wash out
(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)
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
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 washout
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]
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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