douche
Americannoun
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a jet or current of water, sometimes with a dissolved medicating or cleansing agent, applied to a body part, organ, or cavity for medicinal or hygienic purposes.
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the application of such a jet.
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an instrument, as a syringe, for administering it.
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a bath administered by such a jet.
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Slang: Vulgar. douchebag.
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
noun
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a stream of water or air directed onto the body surface or into a body cavity, for cleansing or medical purposes
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the application of such a stream of water or air
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an instrument, such as a special syringe, for applying a douche
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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douchesimple
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douchessimple
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have douchedperfect
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has douchedperfect
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am douchingprogressive
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are douchingprogressive
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is douchingprogressive
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have been douchingperfect progressive
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has been douchingperfect progressive
Past
-
douchedsimple
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had douchedperfect
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was douchingprogressive
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were douchingprogressive
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had been douchingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of douche
First recorded in 1675–85; from French, from Italian doccia “water pipe,” back formation from doccione “drainpipe” (where -one was interpreted as an augmentative suffix), from Latin ductiōn- (stem of ductiō ) “drawing off, conveying (water),” equivalent to duct(us), past participle of dūcere “to draw along” + -iōn- noun suffix; see ductile, -ion
Explanation
A douche is a type of hygiene product women use to clean their vaginas. Douche is also a common slang word for "jerk": the variation douchebag is extremely popular. There’s no clear way to define what a douche is, though anyone acting arrogant, jerky, or nasty might be described as one. Since this is a slang word that some find disgusting and particularly offensive to women, be careful when using it. The d-word isn’t as bad as the f-word, but your mother or your teacher probably doesn’t want to hear about “That douche in my math class!” So it's probably best to keep your vocabulary douche-free.
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.
See Examples For:
But he was also accused of being an “Instagram douche meets cult leader” and “Steve Jobs meets Jim Jones”.
From The Guardian ● Jan. 9, 2020
“We don’t like what we see now & sadly ppl still romanticize, venerate and imitate huge douche bags from the past. So calling it out is right.”
From Fox News ● Feb. 20, 2019
Indeed, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommend that women do not douche, and that they allow the vagina to maintain its normal healthy population of protective microbial flora.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013
They’ll occasionally refresh the douche line “with more relevant and modern fragrances,” according to Bryant.
From Slate ● Nov. 21, 2011
The crowding hopes of avarice and self-interest had suddenly received a douche of cold water.
From The Son of his Father by Cullum, Ridgwell
Since the dawn of civilization it’s been the human race versus a few power-lord douches.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2024
Black women also reported higher use of feminine hygiene products, like douches, which have been linked with higher levels of ortho-phthalates.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 24, 2023
“Vaginal pH is maintained by lactobacilli. Soaps, cleansers and douches will only hurt this bacteria, so they are all bad pH-wise,” Gunter wrote in a recent New York Times piece.
From The Guardian ● Jan. 22, 2020
From pink pills to help women with so-called hysteria, to vaginal douches to keep them "clean", the historical displays show how gynaecology has often been dominated by superstition and ignorance.
From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2018
This is not heredity; this is simple infection, and can be avoided by keeping the mother's birth canal clean by antiseptic douches before childbirth.
From Woman Her Sex and Love Life by Robinson, William J.
Back in 1985, according to the National Survey of Family Growth, 37 percent of American women aged 15-44 regularly douched.
From Slate ● Nov. 21, 2011
Then she was douched with bicarbonate and bore four males, two females.
From Time Magazine Archive
He swayed and turned them with his stream of talk, he douched them cold, he blew them warm, he startled them, and touched them.
From The Heritage of the Kurts, Volume I (of 2) by Bj?rnson, Bj?rnstjerne
Manipulations to correct the deformity should be carried out twice or thrice daily, and the limbs are also massaged and douched.
From Manual of Surgery Volume Second: Extremities—Head—Neck. Sixth Edition. by Miles, Alexander
I arose, douched my face in a large tub of water, and felt that my head was very much relieved.
From The Day of Wrath by Bain, R. Nisbet (Robert Nisbet)
I recently spoke to two colorectal surgeons for a previous question posed to this column about douching that required a rather intricate answer.
From Slate ● Dec. 23, 2019
Almost no one could be Joan Collins douching with diamonds, but you could see yourself as Grace Van Owen’s forever-lunching legal eagle.
From The Guardian ● Dec. 17, 2018
These days, douching seems as ancient as dial-up, with just 12 percent of women aged 18-44 using the feminine hygiene products.
From Slate ● Nov. 26, 2011
He became an outside patient of this institution, and seemed to enjoy thoroughly the routine of bathing, douching, packing, etc.
From Reminiscences, 1819-1899 by Howe, Julia Ward
A good deal of nonsense is still talked by some medical practitioners about the alleged harmfulness of douching.
From Safe Marriage A Return to Sanity by Lane, William Arbuthnot
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.
