dishwasher

American  

[dish-wosh-er, -waw-sher] / ˈdɪʃˌwɒʃ ər, -ˌwɔ ʃər /

noun

1. a person who washes dishes.

2. a machine for washing dishes, kitchen utensils, etc., automatically.

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dishwasher British  

/ ˈdɪʃˌwɒʃə /

noun

1. an electrically operated machine for washing, rinsing, and drying dishes, cutlery, etc

2. a person who washes dishes, etc

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Etymology

Origin of dishwasher

First recorded in 1520–30; dish + washer

Explanation

If you work as a dishwasher, your job involves cleaning the glasses, plates, bowls, and silverware at a restaurant or cafe. You're also a dishwasher if you volunteer to wash the dishes after dinner at home. Some dishwashers scrub pots, pans, and dishes by hand, while others simply load up the other kind of dishwasher — a machine that automatically cleans dishes. While a human dishwasher has to scrub to get the dishes clean, a mechanical dishwasher sprays extremely hot water to do the same job. This new and improved type of dishwasher was invented in the late 19th century.

Example Sentences

Nearby, Luciano Vera sprayed bacon grease from cooking trays before loading them into an industrial dishwasher.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026

She performs humble Christian motherhood with aplomb, her antisocial personality tucked away as deftly as the farmhouse kitchen’s off-camera dishwasher.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026

“I’m not paying anything” for it, she said, explaining that she just uses the dishwasher soap she already has.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 2, 2026

Other writers, especially women, have historically opted for cafe writing because working at home comes with constant prompts of other duties: unloading the dishwasher, deworming the cat, filing tax returns.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026

Mrs. Baylor crossed the room to the dishwasher and began to unload it, but her movements were kind of mechanical, as if her thoughts were on something else.

From "It All Comes Down to This" by Karen English