wash up

British  

verb

1. to wash (dishes, cutlery, etc) after a meal

2. (intr) to wash one's face and hands

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noun

1. the end, outcome of a process

   in the washup, three candidates were elected

wash up Idioms  

1. 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.

2. 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 .

3. 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]

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Example Sentences

The county's move was prompted after a dead 35-foot female humpback whale washed up in Manasquan, Monmouth County, at that point the ninth dead whale in the NJ/NY metro area this winter.

From Salon

All aboard have drowned, except Pi, a traumatized 17-year-old who washed up in this fishing village after 227 days lost at sea.

From New York Times

January, 1742: A company of starving, half-dead men on a ramshackle raft washed up on the Brazilian shore with an extraordinary tale.

From New York Times

When a body washes up on a beach, Carmen tells her grandchildren to avert their eyes; by then, though, hers have been pried open.

From New York Times

After washing up on the coast of Africa, they founded a dynasty that ruled the Swahili coast for centuries.

From Science Magazine

Related Words

• bankrupt
• decrease
• diminish
• drain
• empty
• expend
• impoverish
• lessen
• reduce
• sap
• squander
• undermine
• use up
• weaken