rinse
Americanverb (used with object)
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rinses,
present (3rd person singular)
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rinsed,
past participle, past
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rinsing
present participle
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to wash lightly, as by pouring water into or over or by dipping in water.
to rinse a cup.
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to douse or drench in clean water as a final stage in washing.
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to remove (soap, dirt, etc.) by such a process (often followed byoff ).
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to use a rinse on (the hair).
noun
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rinses
plural
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an act or instance of rinsing.
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the water used for rinsing.
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any preparation that may be used on the hair after washing, especially to tint or condition the hair.
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an act or instance of using such a preparation on the hair.
verb
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to remove soap from (clothes, etc) by applying clean water in the final stage in washing
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to wash lightly, esp without using soap
to rinse one's hands
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to give a light tint to (hair)
noun
-
the act or an instance of rinsing
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hairdressing a liquid preparation put on the hair when wet to give a tint to it
a blue rinse
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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prerinsenoun
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rinsabilitynoun
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rinseabilitynoun
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rinsernoun
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prerinseverb (used with object)
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rinsableadjective
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rinseableadjective
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unrinsedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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rinsesimple
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rinsessimple
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have rinsedperfect
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has rinsedperfect
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am rinsingprogressive
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are rinsingprogressive
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is rinsingprogressive
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have been rinsingperfect progressive
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has been rinsingperfect progressive
Past
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rinsedsimple
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had rinsedperfect
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was rinsingprogressive
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were rinsingprogressive
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had been rinsingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of rinse
1300–50; Middle English ryncen < Middle French rincer, Old French recincier < Vulgar Latin *recentiāre to make new, refresh, equivalent to Latin recent- (stem of recēns ) fresh, recent + connective -i- + -āre infinitive suffix
Explanation
When you rinse something, you run water over it. You probably at least rinse your hands before sitting down to eat, and rinse your dishes afterward. After shampooing your hair in the shower you need to rinse it, and many recipes call for you to rinse rice before cooking it. You can also rinse your mouth out, either with water or mouthwash. When it's a noun, rinse means the act of rinsing, or a hair treatment: "After the red rinse, you'll barely recognize yourself." Rinse shares the Latin root recens, "fresh or new," with recent.
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:
“And that is rinse and repeat what happens to really good art and really good movements, and it’s what happened with Afropunk.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
Drain, rinse under cold water and transfer to the baking dish.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
HPV levels also fell by 80% in oral rinse samples.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 4, 2026
The outbreak is a reminder of one of the persistent questions that surrounds lettuce: Do I need to rinse my “triple-washed” lettuce?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
I quickly washed up my few dishes, then ladled clean water over each item to rinse off the suds.
From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson
A big challenge is dental plaque, a protective structure known as a biofilm that helps bacteria adhere to teeth and makes them more resistant to removal by saliva, mouth rinses and some antimicrobial agents.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
The researchers suggest that adding arginine to products such as toothpaste or oral rinses could help protect people who are especially prone to cavities.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 9, 2026
The brand touts a variety of products including shampoo, conditioner, a hair oil, a hair mask and a shaking vessel to apply rinses.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 20, 2024
Melissa: No. 2: If you’re one of those people who rinses, dries and sorts your recycling, you get a gold star.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 5, 2024
Around me a woman rinses cups in the sink, and Matt scrapes crumbs from his plate into the trash.
From "Rules" by Cynthia Lord
Jack had reached for a vol-au-vent, swallowed it whole in one bite, rinsed it down with a glass of champagne and seized center stage all in one action.
From Slate ● Aug. 15, 2026
The researchers rinsed and peeled potatoes before cutting them into strips.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 29, 2026
The rocks were then placed in a woven basket with water and acorn flour that had been rinsed and re-rinsed over several days, to remove bitter tannins.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2025
They also advised that all food waste shout be put into a food waste caddy and recyclable materials should be rinsed to help stop them being attacked by birds, animals or other vermin.
From BBC ● Mar. 14, 2025
What I didn’t know is that the chemical doesn’t really start to burn until it’s being rinsed out.
From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah
After rinsing the pipe, workers will refill it with clean water, refill the hole and repave the street.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2026
In the local hospital, a modest building nestled within the hillside town's trees and high grass, healthcare workers are rinsing both floor and walls with a chlorine solution.
From Barron's ● May 24, 2026
You know to turn the faucet in the bathroom off while rinsing out your swimsuit but something distracts you.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 23, 2026
The dedicated staff introduced us to the elephant we’d be bathing, allowing us to each scrub a quarter of the animal before rinsing clean.
From Salon ● Jan. 13, 2026
She wets my hair, working up a lather and then rinsing it with cups of warm water.
From "Lucky Broken Girl" by Ruth Behar
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.
