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

She said her landlord hasn’t fixed the washer and dryer on her floor in more than a year, and she’s constantly concerned about being forced out by rent hikes.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026

"Having a cool shower, putting a cold washer on your neck, making sure you're hydrated - all of those things will help physiologically as well," she said.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

Nearly 6 in 10 builders also used sales incentives to try to entice buyers, such as offering money towards buyers’ closing costs, or upgrades such as a free washer and dryer.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 16, 2026

Another plane slid off the deck the next month when its landing cable snapped, because sailors exhausted by weeks of combat likely left off a washer that held it in place.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 26, 2026

Then he got a load of sheets going in the washer that he’d hang out on the line when he got home from school.

From "A Monster Calls" by Patrick Ness

Allman’s cameos on the show include unglamorous moments like renting out pressure washers or squeezing blood from a raw venison patty and cooking it in cream sauce for dinner.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026

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

In Hammanskraal, a couple of car washers are filling up at a public tap while in the background, tankers refill.

From BBC ● Mar. 19, 2026

They used to play quoits in the road with four big steel washers they’d found in a hardware store but these were gone with everything else.

From "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy