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.

As legal analyst Mark Joseph Stern explained at Slate, Alito “reframes these utterly innocent children’s books as insidious propaganda designed to brainwash children.”

From Salon • Jul. 2, 2025

“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

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

From Washington Times • Nov. 6, 2022

"He was trying to brainwash me, manipulate me and he still had control of me and I didn't like it," she said.

From BBC • Oct. 7, 2021

Instead I’m locked in a small room that smells like chorizo and stale popcorn while my archenemy continues to brainwash the community with reggaeton and free sunscreen.

From "The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora" by Pablo Cartaya

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