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.
Washouts from seasons past attempt to redeem themselves under the watchful eyes of chefs Anne Burrell and Michael Symon in a new cycle of the culinary competition “Worst Cooks in America.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 23, 2021
Washouts further up the mountain prevented our going, so we could do nothing but sit around and discuss the situation.
From The Johnstown Horror!!! or, Valley of Death, being A Complete and Thrilling Account of the Awful Floods and Their Appalling Ruin by Walker, James Herbert
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.
