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• washed-up
  washed-up

  adjective

  done for; having failed completely.
• washed up
  washed up

  adjective

  no longer useful, successful, hopeful, etc

washed-up

American  

[wosht-uhp, wawsht-] / ˈwɒʃtˈʌp, ˈwɔʃt- /

adjective

Informal.

1. done for; having failed completely.

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washed up British  

adjective

1. no longer useful, successful, hopeful, etc

   our hopes for the new deal are all washed up

2. exhausted

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washed up Idioms  

1. see wash up, def. 3.

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Etymology

Origin of washed-up

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

washed-up washed up

They will be promoted on social media and television by washed-up athletes and unscrupulous influencers paid well for their perfidy.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026

And, most importantly, as a washed-up hipster living in central Brooklyn, I am surrounded by fans of Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur—two teams I also know nothing about—and I simply refuse to conform to that coalition.

From Slate ● Aug. 28, 2026

It tells the story of a deaf musician who forms an unlikely partnership with a washed-up busker.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

He stars as Lonnie Hawkins, a washed-up golfer with spiky blond hair and a bad attitude.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026

There were plenty of washed-up logs and sticks on the island, and under the bridge the wood was bone-dry.

From "The Honest Truth" by Dan Gemeinhart

Who among us Dodgers fans cares that he thinks the Dodgers are washed up?

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026

Both Bunney and McLaren added that it is important not to touch a jellyfish when it is washed up on a beach as it can still sting, even when presumed dead.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

In 2023, India confirmed that a giant metal dome that washed up on a Western Australian beach near Perth was from one of its rockets.

From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026

Ronaldo has heard that he was washed up, that he no longer belonged in their league.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026

Sometimes seaweed washed up on the Black Rocks.

From "Nim’s Island" by Wendy Orr