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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

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

Nominated for seven Oscars, Duvall won best actor in 1983 for playing a washed-up country singer in Tender Mercies.

From BBC • Feb. 16, 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

Duvall won his Academy Award in 1983 for playing a washed-up country singer in "Tender Mercies."

From Barron's • Feb. 16, 2026

Obadiah down on his knees in the mud, bent over the washed-up statue.

From "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd