washer

American  

[wosh-er, waw-sher] / ˈwɒʃ ər, ˈwɔ ʃər /

noun

washers plural

1. a person or thing that washes.

2. washing machine.

3. a flat ring or perforated piece of leather, rubber, metal, etc., used to give tightness to a joint, to prevent leakage, to distribute pressure, etc., as under the head of a nut or bolt.

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washer British  

/ ˈwɒʃə /

noun

1. a person or thing that washes

2. a flat ring or drilled disc of metal used under the head of a bolt or nut to spread the load when tightened

3. any flat ring of rubber, felt, metal, etc, used to provide a seal under a nut or in a tap or valve seat

4. See washing machine

5. chemical engineering a device for cleaning or washing gases or vapours; scrubber

6. a face cloth; flannel

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• washerless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• washers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of washer

Middle English word dating back to 1275–1325; see origin at wash, -er ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

washer washers

Avoid using the oven on scorching days and delay running the dishwasher, washer or dryer until the cooler evening hours.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 29, 2026

Avoid using the oven on scorching days and delay running the dishwasher, washer or dryer until the cooler evening hours.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 29, 2026

Methanol is an industrial chemical found in antifreeze and windscreen washer fluid.

From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2025

They were apparently drawn by vibrations from their equipment, including a dry washer and a generator.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2025

Mr. Neely clapped along, beaming at their jam sesh, and when the music ended, he introduced our experiment of the day: washer pendulums.

From "The Science of Breakable Things" by Tae Keller

Then, it’s a cutback on durable goods, such as big appliances like dishwashers or washers and dryers for laundry, he said.

From MarketWatch ● May 12, 2026

Whirlpool has hiked prices this year across its range of washers, dryers, refrigerators and stoves—and plans to raise them again in the summer.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 8, 2026

For example, many of the handbag straps feature washers strung on ribbons, referencing a series of jewelry designs Anni Albers made with Alexander Reed in 1940.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2025

“I could fix it - I'm actually a plumber - but it had no washers in there.”

From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2024

We counted how many washers the hot magnet picked up, a grand total of thirteen.

From "The Science of Breakable Things" by Tae Keller