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Synonyms

won't wash

Idioms  

  1. Will not stand up to examination, is unconvincing, will not work, as in That excuse about your sick aunt just won't wash. This expression originally alluded to a fabric that would not stand up to washing but by the late 1800s was used figuratively for other kinds of failure.

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.

Editor of the Sunday Times, Ben Taylor, said the "excuses" of those at the top of Labour Together "won't wash".

From BBC • Feb. 16, 2026

If the washing machine won’t wash or the screen door won’t seamlessly slide, does it make sense to call a professional?

From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2020

I worry that if people put on masks, then they’ll think, OK, I’m protected, and they won’t wash their hands as vigorously or be careful not to touch their faces.

From Slate • Apr. 1, 2020

The old saw that horse people really love their animals won’t wash anymore.

From Washington Post • May 5, 2019

“Caper as you like, it won’t wash out your crimes. Daenerys Targaryen is no silly child to be diverted by japes and tumbles. She will deal with you justly.”

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin

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.