wash up

British  

verb

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

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

---

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]

---

Example Sentences

The boys grumbled but went downstairs with Ma and Ba to wash up, while I cleaned out Ba’s ashtray and pulled my nightgown from the chifforobe.

From Literature

More volunteers are being recruited to help rescue a growing number of whales, dolphins and porpoises washing up on UK shores.

From BBC

This makes the precise consequences very difficult to predict, but this new wave of inflation from the Gulf will wash up on the shores of the rest of the globe, including here in the UK.

From BBC

Mama had rolled up her sleeves ready to start washing up.

From Literature

My own legs felt like pieces of lumber that had washed up in the surf: numb and heavy.

From Literature

Related Words

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