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Synonyms

douche

American  
[doosh] / duʃ /

noun

  1. 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.

  2. the application of such a jet.

  3. an instrument, as a syringe, for administering it.

  4. a bath administered by such a jet.

  5. Slang: Vulgar. douchebag.


verb (used with object)

douched, douching
  1. to apply a douche to.

verb (used without object)

douched, douching
  1. to use a douche or douches; undergo douching.

douche British  
/ duːʃ /

noun

  1. a stream of water or air directed onto the body surface or into a body cavity, for cleansing or medical purposes

  2. the application of such a stream of water or air

  3. an instrument, such as a special syringe, for applying a douche

"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

verb

  1. to cleanse or treat or be cleansed or treated by means of a douche

"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

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.

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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

Knowing how this show treats Avery, it also wouldn't surprise me if he went back into full douche mode and tried to put the moves on her.

From Slate • May 3, 2013

"Yes," she said, shivering under the cruel, heartless phrases of the letter as under a douche of cold water.

From Sophia A Romance by Weyman, Stanley John