wash
verb (used with object)
to apply water or some other liquid to (something or someone) for the purpose of cleansing; cleanse by dipping, rubbing, or scrubbing in water or some other liquid.
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wash
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Wash.
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-wash
-washa combining form extracted from whitewash and added to a word that names a trend, a fad, or something otherwise deemed desirable, with the meaning “to give the appearance of,” indicating that the affiliation or association with the named thing is not genuine, as in a rebranding effort that attempts to cover up any negative facts or publicity: What real benefit is there for breast cancer research in pinkwashing products every October?
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Wash
Washnouna shallow inlet of the North Sea on the E coast of England, between Lincolnshire and Norfolk
wash
1 American
[wosh, wawsh]
/ wɒʃ, wɔʃ /
verb (used with object)
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washes,
present (3rd person singular)
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washed,
past participle, past
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washing
present participle
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to apply water or some other liquid to (something or someone) for the purpose of cleansing; cleanse by dipping, rubbing, or scrubbing in water or some other liquid.
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to remove (dirt, stains, paint, or any matter) by or as by the action of water (usually followed by out, off, etc.).
to wash grime out of clothing.
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to free from spiritual defilement or from sin, guilt, etc..
to be washed whiter than the snow.
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to bathe, wet, or moisten with water or other liquid.
a meadow newly washed with morning dew.
- Synonyms:
- bedew
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to flow through, over, or against.
a shore or cliff washed by waves.
- Synonyms:
- bathe
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to carry, bring, remove, or deposit (something) by means of water or any liquid, or as the water or liquid does (often followed by up, down, oralong ).
The storm washed the boat up on the shore.
A sailor was washed overboard.
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to wear or diminish, as water does by flowing over or against a surface (often followed by out oraway ).
The rain had washed away the lettering on the stone.
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(of water) to form by flowing over and eroding a surface.
The flood had washed a new channel through the bottom lands.
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Mining.
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to subject (earth or ore) to the action or force of water in order to separate valuable material.
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to separate (valuable material) in this way.
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to purify (a gas or gaseous mixture) by passage through or over a liquid.
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to cover with a watery or thin coat of color.
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to overlay with a thin coat or deposit of metal.
to wash brass with gold.
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Slang. launder.
verb (used without object)
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washes,
present (3rd person singular)
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washed,
past participle, past
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washing
present participle
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to wash oneself.
After using the insecticide spray they washed completely.
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to wash clothes.
Monday is the day we wash.
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to cleanse anything with or in water or other liquid.
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to undergo washing without injury, especially shrinking or fading.
fabrics guaranteed to wash.
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Informal. to be found true, valid, or real when tested or closely scrutinized; stand being put to the proof.
His honesty won't wash.
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to be carried or driven by water (often followed by along orashore ).
The boat had washed ashore in the night.
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to flow or beat with a lapping sound, as waves on a shore.
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to move along in or as in waves, or with a rushing movement, as water.
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to be eroded, as by a stream or by rainfall.
a hillside that washes frequently.
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to be removed by the action of water (often followed byaway ).
Much of the topsoil washes away each spring.
noun
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washes
plural
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the act or process of washing with water or other liquid.
to give the car a wash.
- Synonyms:
- ablution
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a quantity of clothes, linens, etc., washed, or to be washed, at one time.
a heavy wash.
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a liquid with which something is washed, wetted, colored, overspread, etc..
She gave the room a wash of pale blue.
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the flow, sweep, dash, or breaking of water.
The wash of the waves had drenched us.
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the sound made by this.
listening to the wash of the Atlantic.
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water moving along in waves or with a rushing movement.
the wash of the incoming tide.
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the rough or broken water left behind a moving ship, boat, etc.; wake.
The little boats tossed about in the wash from the liner's propellers.
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Aeronautics. the disturbance in the air left behind by a moving airplane or any of its parts.
wing wash.
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any of various liquids for grooming or cosmetic purposes.
a hair wash.
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a lotion or other liquid having medicinal properties, as an antiseptic solution or the like (often used in combination).
to apply wash to a skinned knee;
mouthwash;
eyewash.
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Mining. minerals from which valuable material can be extracted by washing.
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the wearing away of the shore by breaking waves.
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a tract of land washed by the action of the sea or a river.
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a marsh, fen, or bog.
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a small stream or shallow pool.
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a shallow arm of the sea or a shallow part of a river.
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The Wash, a shallow bay of the North Sea, on the eastern coast of England. 20 miles (32 km) long; 15 miles (24 km) wide.
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a depression or channel formed by flowing water.
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Geology. alluvial matter transferred and deposited by flowing water.
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Also called dry wash. Western U.S. the dry bed of an intermittent stream.
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a broad, thin layer of color applied by a continuous movement of the brush, as in water-color painting.
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Also called watershed, weathering. Architecture.
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an upper surface so inclined as to shed rainwater from a building.
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any member of a building having such a surface.
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Metalworking. Also a thin coat of metal applied in liquid form.
a gold wash.
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waste liquid matter, refuse, food, etc., from the kitchen, as for hogs; swill (often used in combination).
hogwash.
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washy or weak liquor or liquid food.
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the fermented wort from which the spirit is extracted in distilling.
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Informal. an action that yields neither gain nor loss.
The company's financial position is a wash compared with last year.
adjective
verb phrase
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wash up
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to wash one's face and hands.
Aren't you going to wash up? Dinner is almost ready.
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to wash (dishes, flatware, pots, etc.).
I'll wash up the dishes, don't bother.
We had someone in to wash up after the party.
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to end, especially ignominiously (usually in the passive).
After that performance, he's all washed up as a singer.
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wash out
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to be removed by washing.
The stain wouldn't wash out.
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to damage or demolish by the action of water.
The embankment was washed out by the storm.
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Informal. to fail to qualify or continue; be eliminated.
to wash out of graduate school.
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to become dim, indistinct, or blurred.
The face of the watch washes out in sunlight.
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wash down
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to clean completely by washing.
to wash down a car.
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to facilitate the swallowing of (food or medicine) by drinking water or other liquid.
to wash down a meal with a glass of wine.
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idioms
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wash one's hands of. hand.
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come out in the wash,
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to have a good or satisfactory result; turn out eventually.
The situation may look hopeless now, but it will all come out in the wash.
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to be revealed; become known.
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Wash.
2
American
abbreviation
-wash
3
American
wash
1
British
/ wɒʃ /
verb
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to apply water or other liquid, usually with soap, to (oneself, clothes, etc) in order to cleanse
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(tr; often foll by away, from, off, etc) to remove by the application of water or other liquid and usually soap
she washed the dirt from her clothes
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(intr) to be capable of being washed without damage or loss of colour
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(of an animal such as a cat) to cleanse (itself or another animal) by licking
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(tr) to cleanse from pollution or defilement
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(tr) to make wet or moist
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to move or be moved by water
the flood washed away the bridge
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(esp of waves) to flow or sweep against or over (a surface or object), often with a lapping sound
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to form by erosion or be eroded
the stream washed a ravine in the hill
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(tr) to apply a thin coating of paint, metal, etc, to
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(tr) to separate (ore, precious stones, etc) from (gravel, earth, or sand) by immersion in water
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informal (intr; usually used with a negative) to admit of testing or proof
your excuses won't wash with me this time
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euphemistic to go to the lavatory
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(usually foll by of) to refuse to have anything more to do (with)
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noun
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the act or process of washing; ablution
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a quantity of articles washed together
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a preparation or thin liquid used as a coating or in washing
a thin wash of paint
a hair wash
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med
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any medicinal or soothing lotion for application to a part of the body
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( in combination )
an eyewash
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the flow of water, esp waves, against a surface, or the sound made by such a flow
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the technique of making wash drawings
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See wash drawing
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the erosion of soil by the action of flowing water
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a mass of alluvial material transported and deposited by flowing water
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land that is habitually washed by tidal or river waters
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the disturbance in the air or water produced at the rear of an aircraft, boat, or other moving object
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gravel, earth, etc, from which valuable minerals may be washed
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waste liquid matter or liquid refuse, esp as fed to pigs; swill
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an alcoholic liquid resembling strong beer, resulting from the fermentation of wort in the production of whisky
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informal to become known or apparent in the course of time
Wash
2
British
/ wɒʃ /
noun
Wash.
3
British
abbreviation
wash
More Idioms
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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washsimple
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washessimple
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have washedperfect
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has washedperfect
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am washingprogressive
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are washingprogressive
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is washingprogressive
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have been washingperfect progressive
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has been washingperfect progressive
Past
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washedsimple
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had washedperfect
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was washingprogressive
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were washingprogressive
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had been washingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of wash
First recorded before 900; Middle English verb washen, Old English wascan (cognate with Dutch wasschen, German waschen, Old Norse vaska ), from Proto-Germanic watskan, equivalent to wat- (root of water ) + -sk- verb suffix + -an infinitive suffix
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.
See Examples For:
So, is it a wash from an interest-rate perspective?
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026
Since mining got underway, "the water of the river is not drinkable; you can't even wash your body with that water", he told AFP.
From Barron's ● Aug. 9, 2026
Net exports subtracted a point from GDP, which is a statistical wash since imports flow into consumer spending and investment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
Among the newly released records is the testimony of a Border Patrol agent who described how officers selected the site of a June 18 raid at a Whittier car wash.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
After he leaves, I tell Mother I must wash it; I won’t be able to sleep otherwise.
From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar
It separately aims to sell its Pasco, Wash., facility that can slaughter about 2,000 cattle a day.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
It separately aims to sell its Pasco, Wash. facility that can slaughter about 2,000 cattle a day.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
For Kevin Lieu, 33, a former insurance salesman in Everett, Wash., car detailing started as part-time work.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
Ohashi thanks Pacific Reign Gymnastics, a U.S. national training center in Woodinville, Wash., “for taking a chance on me.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2026
And Sir Grummore began cackling in a tuneless alto, like thousands of wild geese on the Wash. “Hush! Hush!” cried Sir Palomides.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
They are currently parked at an airfield in Moses Lake, Wash.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
Recruiting experts for these task forces is under way, Wash said, adding that he hopes to get recommendations by year-end.
From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026
Wash and rinse the rice before soaking it in a fresh bowl of water for 20 to 25 minutes.
From Salon ● Jun. 7, 2026
Douglas is also one of 140 members of the Social Singing Choir in Margate, Kent, which has used the recordings in their song Wash Over Me, set for release in June.
From BBC ● Apr. 22, 2026
Hercules had learned his skills in Mount Vernon’s kitchen, and Wash Custis later described Hercules as “a celebrated artiste...as highly accomplished a proficient in the culinary art as could be found in the United States.”
From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis
Dog treats, favourite foods, washes and blow dries at home, endless love and attention.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
According to the motion, the government sent intelligence-gathering teams to Home Depots and car washes where “they ran checks until they identified an arbitrary number—typically a small number—of possibly unlawfully present individuals.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
A clean produce brush might help, food-safety experts say, but skip the chemical produce washes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
A radical acceptance of your fate, floating in the void, washes over you.
From Salon ● Jun. 15, 2026
“Milk’s fine for household secrets, but it washes away at sea. This diary is written in pirates’ ink.
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
Some look as if they haven’t washed for days.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
Workers waded through a rubbish-filled river in Manila, collecting waste that washed in during days of heavy rain.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
When travelers arrive at the luxury terminal on the southern flank of LAX, they can valet their car and even get it washed while they’re away.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
Farmers can then be advised to delay spraying their crops, so expensive chemicals are not just washed away.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
He wasn’t too eager to think about anything, even a spider, getting washed away.
From "Earthquake Terror" by Peg Kehret
Verified videos show a major oil slick washing up on Iran's Qeshm Island, which analysts have said comes from a ship hit by a strike in the Strait of Hormuz.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
And during the middle of it, I saw that she was wearing yellow rubber gloves with soap coming off because she was doing the washing up.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
A simple, “I found some cash in the washing machine. Did you lose any money?” would do it.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026
"The poor really suffer," said the woman in her 60s, washing vegetables by the open door of her residence as temperatures outside soared up to 38C.
From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026
I was standing on a chair washing the big window in the dining room, waving now and then to passersby in the alley, while in the kitchen Mama peeled potatoes for lunch.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
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.
