washout
Americannoun
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a washing out of earth, gravel, etc., by water, as from an embankment or a roadway by heavy rain or by a flash flood.
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the hole, break, or erosion produced by such a washing out.
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Aeronautics. Also wash-out a warp in an airfoil that gives a decrease in the angle of attack toward the tip.
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Informal. an utter failure.
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Informal. a person who has failed a course of training or study.
air force washouts.
Etymology
Origin of washout
First recorded in 1870–75; noun use of verb phrase wash out
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.
Following a washout period, they consumed a low-carotenoid tomato juice for another four weeks.
From Science Daily ● May 30, 2026
The washout gave each side one point, and left Australia unable to catch up.
From Barron's ● Feb. 17, 2026
Scotland are facing a washout of a Six Nations campaign after suffering a dispiriting opening loss to Italy in rain-soaked Rome.
From BBC ● Feb. 7, 2026
Stocks may stage a tepid recovery from Tuesday’s Greenland-inspired washout, but anxiety remains high as President Trump arrives in Davos.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 21, 2026
Mr. Benson struck the washout a little way above us.
From "Where the Red Fern Grows" by Wilson Rawls
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.
