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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

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

Created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, the original Clayface was a washed-up actor turned criminal who first appeared in a 1940 issue of “Detective Comics.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 22, 2026

In Hoboken: Playing a washed-up boxer, Marlon Brando declares, “I could have been a contender,” in “On the Waterfront.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 16, 2026

I count my lucky stars—that is, I’m reminded again that there is some luck to be had, even for a washed-up hustler like me.

From "X: A Novel" by Ilyasah Shabazz

The carcasses of malnourished sea lions and whales washed up on beaches.

From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 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

Wind gusts were so strong at Island Bay that two women were knocked off their feet as waves washed up over the road, an AFP journalist saw.

From Barron's ● Jun. 9, 2026

Hundreds of dead sharks and other fish have washed up on beaches in Wales.

From BBC ● May 27, 2026

Sometimes seaweed washed up on the Black Rocks.

From "Nim’s Island" by Wendy Orr