backwash

American  

[bak-wosh, -wawsh] / ˈbækˌwɒʃ, -ˌwɔʃ /

noun

1. Nautical. water thrown backward by the motion of oars, propellers, paddle wheels, etc.

2. Aeronautics. the portion of the wash of an aircraft that flows to the rear, usually created by the power plant.

3. a condition, usually undesirable, that continues long after the event which caused it.

   Synonyms:

   upshot, result, consequence, aftermath

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verb (used with object)

1. to affect, as by hitting, rocking, or splashing, with a backwash.

   a powerful cutter backwashing the skiers.

2. to clean out (a clogged filter) by reversing the flow of fluid.

   Backwash the swimming pool's filters regularly.

backwash British  

/ ˈbækˌwɒʃ /

noun

1. a sucking movement of water, such as that of retreating waves Compare swash

2. water washed backwards by the motion of oars or other propelling devices

3. the backward flow of air set up by an aircraft's engines

4. a condition resulting from a previous event; repercussion

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verb

1. (tr) to remove oil from (combed wool)

Other Word Forms

• backwasher noun

Etymology

Origin of backwash

First recorded in 1765–75; back ² + wash

Example Sentences

The Royal Family has had a difficult start to 2024 - uncertain in the face of health problems and surrounded by a backwash of rumour and speculation.

From BBC • Mar. 2, 2024

Rather than absorbing wave energy, seawalls and riprap can create backwash that collides with incoming waves, engineers realized, setting off supercharged turbulence that chews away at shoreline protection and hastens erosion of adjacent land.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 20, 2022

Federal Reserve are all - to differing degrees - now facing a backwash from years of policy-driven but lucrative balance sheet expansion.

From Reuters • Oct. 27, 2022

Cleaning regularly is important, because there will inevitably be some backwash in your rinsing apparatus after use, which can contain virus particles, bacteria, allergens or other irritants that were flushed from the nose, Lane said.

From Washington Post • Apr. 22, 2022

"Thinking like that will get you lost in the backwash of history," I said.

From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison