hand-washing

American  

[hand-wosh-ing, -wawsh-] / ˈhændˌwɒʃ ɪŋ, -ˌwɔʃ- /

Or handwashing

noun

1. the act or activity of laundering something by hand.

2. the act or activity of washing one’s hands.

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Etymology

Origin of hand-washing

First recorded in 1790–95; hand ( def. ) + washing ( def. )

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hand-washing

When AFP visited, she was carrying water in large, plastic jerry cans and hand-washing clothes in a bowl on the dirt floor.

From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026

I was instantly grateful that I’d brought hand sanitizer as there weren’t any hand-washing stations near the entrance.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

“We have tried to intervene with limited resources by setting up a hand-washing station and providing some personal protective equipment for staff,” Lusenge told the Journal by email.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 24, 2026

A dirty floor, inadequate hand-washing facilities in some areas and broken equipment posing a potential contamination risk were also identified in the inspectors' report.

From BBC ● Feb. 11, 2026

These tough ratings sat up in bed darning their socks, and insisted on hand-washing their own smalls, which they dried on washing lines improvised from string, suspended along the radiators.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan

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