washing
Americannoun
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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
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.
The adhesive CreateMe uses is thermoset, which means that ironing or washing machine temperatures aren't enough to melt it and make the clothes fall apart, insists Myers.
From BBC • May 18, 2026
Up to 50,000 workers in Gujarat spend eight months on the remote salt pans without electricity or healthcare, relying on a tanker to deliver drinking and washing water every 25 days.
From Barron's • May 10, 2026
The decision directly affects Samsung’s sales of consumer electronics such as TVs, washing machines and refrigerators in China, according to company officials.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026
Among those helping prepare victims for burial was Kazem Pourzahedian, a fabric merchant in Minab who for 10 years has volunteered at a local mortuary to perform the ritual washing of the dead.
From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026
But when Calista was in the bathroom washing her tears off, I snuck out of the apartment and down the elevator and outside to the bodega.
From Absolutely Almost by Lisa Graff
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.
