- present participle of wash.
washing
Americannoun
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washings
plural
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the act of a person or thing that washes; ablution.
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clothes, linens, etc., washed or to be washed, especially those washed at one time; wash.
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Often washings any liquid that has been used to wash something.
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matter removed or carried off in washing something or by the force of water.
The washings from numerous spring floods had clogged the mouth of the river.
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Mining.
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material, as gold dust, obtained by washing earth, gravel, etc.
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the deposits so washed.
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Metalworking. wash.
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the act of making a wash sale.
noun
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articles that have been or are to be washed together on a single occasion
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liquid in which an article has been washed
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something, such as gold dust or metal ore, that has been obtained by washing
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a thin coat of something applied in liquid form
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of washing
First recorded in 1175–1225, washing is from the Middle English word wasschunge. See wash, -ing 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
"My main concern was her washing, she would shower about four times a day and scrub her skin and it really worried me," she said.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
Inside the black silhouette of a farmhouse, a pristine white washing machine appears at an almost monumental scale, set against flat fields of saturated color.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
Another man in Irkutsk said he had asked his parents to take precautions like washing their hands, but that he did not view it as a "serious threat."
From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026
As the sun sets, we see three laborers washing off the grime of a day’s work at a faucet near a work site.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
My problem was this: too much washing up, of my face in particular.
From "Ida B" by Katherine Hannigan
CXG’s environs were especially luxurious, complete with multicolored lights, aromatherapy and a warm foot bath, while Tou Dao Tang’s home-brewed, organic “tea bath” washings felt more down to earth.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 21, 2024
When they couldn’t identify any known cold virus, they inoculated adult volunteers with extracts from the nasal washings to confirm that something in the samples caused colds.
From Science Magazine ● Jan. 11, 2024
Do not let the stained fabric dry out between washings!
From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2022
A comfortable, nonslip grip and the ability to stand up to many uses and washings are other considerations.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 23, 2020
They were dressed in jeans of that light blue, lighter and a little frayed at the seams, that can be achieved only by a hundred washings.
From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
