Synonyms

brainwash

American

[breyn-wosh, -wawsh] / ˈbreɪnˌwɒʃ, -ˌwɔʃ /

Or brain-wash,

verb (used with object)

to cause (someone) to undergo brainwashing.

noun

the process of brainwashing.
a subjection to brainwashing.

brainwash British

/ ˈbreɪnˌwɒʃ /

verb

(tr) to effect a radical change in the ideas and beliefs of (a person), esp by methods based on isolation, sleeplessness, hunger, extreme discomfort, pain, and the alternation of kindness and cruelty

"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

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Etymology

Origin of brainwash

First recorded in 1950–55; back formation from brainwashing

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.

“It created a model that proved to local municipalities, to local politicians that these spaces weren’t dangerous places that are going to brainwash your kids or whatever.”

From Seattle Times • Oct. 13, 2023

He said that unscrupulous leaders are able to brainwash people and take advantage of their desire to find a solution to their problems.

From BBC • Apr. 24, 2023

“If we had the power to brainwash kids, we’d have them do their homework.”

From Washington Times • Nov. 6, 2022

"The editorial policy of Srbin.info from the beginning was to offer relevant alternative news, not to brainwash people or to determine how they should live," Zlatanovic wrote in Serbian.

From Salon • Nov. 1, 2022

They can design dream weapons that come to life in my hands, but they will never again brainwash me into the necessity of using them.

From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins

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