washout

[ wosh-out, wawsh- ]

/ ˈwɒʃˌaʊt, ˈwɔʃ- /

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See synonyms for washout on Thesaurus.com

noun

a washing out of earth, gravel, etc., by water, as from an embankment or a roadway by heavy rain or by a flash flood.

the hole, break, or erosion produced by such a washing out.

Also wash-out .Aeronautics. a warp in an airfoil that gives a decrease in the angle of attack toward the tip.Compare washin.

rainout.

Informal. an utter failure.

Informal. a person who has failed a course of training or study: air force washouts.

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Origin of washout

First recorded in 1870–75; noun use of verb phrase wash out

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use washout in a sentence

And the toxin, which sits in the synapses between neurons, can take weeks to wash out.
The Deadliest Botox Has Arrived|Kent Sepkowitz|October 18, 2013|DAILY BEAST
While graduate students who wash out have less debt than law graduates, they have also used up a lot more valuable years.
Too Many Students, Too Few Jobs|Megan McArdle|January 18, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Can a candidate repeatedly wash out in debates and still win a presidential nomination?
Can Rick Perry Come Back?|Jill Lawrence|October 15, 2011|DAILY BEAST
As soon as the stain has disappeared, wash out the linen immediately, as it will be injured if the mixture is left in it.
The Ladies' Book of Etiquette, and Manual of Politeness|Florence Hartley

It takes a full day to lug enough water up to the canyon levels to wash out a pan of gravel.
David Lannarck, Midget|George S. Harney
At night the water of the stream was allowed to run through this channel, and wash out the gravel and sand.
Historic Adventures|Rupert S. Holland
In order to convert the ores into metals, some of them are first reduced to powder, to wash out the earthy or saline particles.
Heads of Lectures on a Course of Experimental Philosophy: Particularly Including Chemistry|Joseph Priestley
He had wronged them: and time alone will suffice to wash out the ever-present remembrance of such wrongs.
The Shadow of Ashlydyat|Mrs. Henry Wood

British Dictionary definitions for washout

wash out

verb (adverb)

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

Also: wash off to remove or be removed by washinggrass stains don't wash out easily

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

noun washout

geology

erosion of the earth's surface by the action of running water
a narrow channel produced by this erosion

informal

a total failure or disaster
an incompetent person

a sporting or social event that is cancelled due to rain

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with washout

wash out

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]

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]

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]

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]

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