washout
Americannoun
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a washing out of earth, gravel, etc., by water, as from an embankment or a roadway by heavy rain or by a flash flood.
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the hole, break, or erosion produced by such a washing out.
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Aeronautics. Also wash-out a warp in an airfoil that gives a decrease in the angle of attack toward the tip.
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Informal. an utter failure.
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Informal. a person who has failed a course of training or study.
air force washouts.
Etymology
Origin of washout
First recorded in 1870–75; noun use of verb phrase wash out
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.
Even a washout against Ireland could not dampen their spirits.
From Barron's • Feb. 20, 2026
Stocks may stage a tepid recovery from Tuesday’s Greenland-inspired washout, but anxiety remains high as President Trump arrives in Davos.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 21, 2026
The stock market is likely “closer to the bottom,” after Thursday’s washout, and investors should buy the dip, says Wall Street’s prescient and biggest bull, Tom Lee.
From MarketWatch • Nov. 21, 2025
They were 78-5 and 78-7 against Bangladesh and Pakistan respectively, the tournament's bottom two teams, with an edgy win and a washout papering over concerning cracks.
From BBC • Oct. 29, 2025
I walked up the washout about a hundred yards and stopped to listen.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
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.
