wash up
Britishverb
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to wash (dishes, cutlery, etc) after a meal
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(intr) to wash one's face and hands
noun
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Wash one's hands and face, as in It's time to wash up for dinner . [First half of 1900s] Also see clean up , def. 2.
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Clean the utensils after a meal, as in I'll cook dinner if you promise to wash up . [Mid-1700s] Also see do the dishes .
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Bring about the end or ruin of; finish. This usage is often used put in the passive, be washed up , as in She's all washed up as a singer . [ Colloquial ; early 1900s]
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.
This makes the sea lions sick, and eventually they could wash up dead.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
"It's quite an inconvenience that we can't wash up, use the toilet, or do things like that," said 53-year economist Claudio Pittia.
From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026
On Monday HM Coastguard said some were beginning to wash up around The Wash – a large inlet of the North Sea stretching from just south of Skegness to near Hunstanton, in Norfolk.
From BBC ● Mar. 20, 2025
Mr Simpson adds: "We thought something would wash up here."
From BBC ● Mar. 20, 2025
They sat with their heels dug into the sand and watched the bleak sea wash up at their feet.
From "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy
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.
