Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

wash out

British  

verb

  1. (tr) to wash (the inside of something) so as to remove (dirt)

  2. Also: wash off.  to remove or be removed by washing

    grass stains don't wash out easily

  3. (tr) to cancel or abandon (a sporting event)

"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

noun

  1. geology

    1. erosion of the earth's surface by the action of running water

    2. a narrow channel produced by this erosion

  2. informal

    1. a total failure or disaster

    2. an incompetent person

  3. a sporting or social event that is cancelled due to rain

  4. aeronautics a decrease in the angle of attack of an aircraft wing towards the wing tip

"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
wash out Idioms  

  1. Remove or be removed by washing; also, cause to fade by laundering. For example, Give it to me; I'll wash out that stain , or The bleach has really washed out that bright print . [Mid-1700s]

  2. Wear away or be worn away by the flow of water, as in The river rose and washed out the dam , or The road has completely washed out . [Mid-1700s]

  3. Deplete or be depleted of energy, as in Working on her feet all day just washed her out , or I just washed out after that long tennis match . [Mid-1800s]

  4. Eliminate or be eliminated as unsatisfactory, as in He washed out of medical school after just one year , or After only two months as chairman I washed out . [ Colloquial ; early 1900s]

  5. Cancel owing to bad weather, as in The picnic was washed out . [ Colloquial ; early 1900s] Also see washed out .

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.

Historically, about 80% of potential pararescuemen wash out of the course, although it is often more, according to military news site Sofrep.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

Although a handful break big—think Michael Jackson, Beyoncé or Harry Styles—most wash out.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026

MarketWatch: Can traders actually fix their psychological issues, or do most just wash out?

From MarketWatch • Jan. 28, 2026

Will putting a proton in the very busy nuclear environment surrounded by lots of other interacting protons and neutrons wash out the individual proton's entanglement?

From Science Daily • Dec. 2, 2024

Hadn't it felt good to wash out whatever nameless storm swept through me?

From "Tradition" by Brendan Kiely

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.