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car wash

American  
Or carwash

noun

  1. a place or structure having special equipment for washing automobiles.

  2. the washing of an automobile.

    The service station is offering free car washes to draw customers.

Etymology

Origin of car wash

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Car wash employees — along with street vendors, day laborers, farmworkers and gardeners — have become low-hanging fruit.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 23, 2025

Car wash owner Jalal was identified as a suspect, arrested and bailed pending trial.

From BBC • Sep. 29, 2025

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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