wash out

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)

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

Idioms and Phrases

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 .

Example Sentences

There is a little bit of making up to do after the Old Trafford rain washed out any hopes of an Ashes victory two years ago.

From BBC

Among those hit was Conway, who rushed to the side to have their reddened eyes washed out with water.

From Los Angeles Times

No digging is required here; super-sized bones lie next to the shoreline, washed out from the rock and cleaned by the flowing water, just waiting to be picked up.

From BBC

But after her mom dies — and it is clear that her mother has most likely been washed out to sea — she is paralyzed.

From Los Angeles Times

He found some color inspiration in old Polaroid photographs: “The way the sun comes up in the Valley, it kind of washes out the buildings. All the paint fades.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• break down 
• break up 
• come apart www.thesaurus.com
• crumble 
• decay 
• decompose 
• degenerate 
• descend 
• disband 
• dismantle 
• rot 
• sever 
• shatter 
• sink 
• splinter 
• wither