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
- undouched adjective
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; 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.
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
Particularly older generations and minority women—that 2006 study found that 27 percent of African-American women and 15 percent of Hispanic women regularly douche, as compared to only 9 percent of white women.
From Slate • Nov. 21, 2011
He would have instantly lost his temper if he had been a few weeks younger, but the memory of those last few weeks recurred to him like a douche of cold water.
From Diana Tempest, Volume I (of 3) by Cholmondeley, Mary
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.
