| 释义 |
Definition of wash in English: washverb wɒʃ 1with object Clean with water and, typically, soap or detergent. Auntie Lou had washed all their clothes he washed down the woodwork in the kitchen Example sentencesExamples - While everything cooks, wash and chop the parsley, dice the ham, toast the hazelnuts in a dry skillet and chop them roughly.
- Every article of clothing reeks of foul-smelling smoke and those that cannot easily be washed have to be hung outside for days.
- The only way I have found to get my spectacles really clean is to wash them in soap and warm water.
- The plaintiffs had it cleaned and washed down on two occasions to get concrete and efflorescence off the walls.
- The books and papers will first be washed in clean water with a very mild detergent to remove the dirt and debris.
- After the children left laundry was sorted, washed and ironed.
- She expresses an interest in the attractive silk shirts they are washing.
- I lathered up and washed myself with honeysuckle-scented soap.
- Be sure to keep your hands away from your eyes until you've washed them thoroughly.
- She took out few clean tomatoes and lettuce and washed them thoroughly.
- Each time it is returned, he merely washes it thoroughly and wears it again.
- After scrubbing with a nylon brush, thoroughly wash the area.
- She realized her dress was covered in dirt and soot, and that she had not washed herself in a few days.
- Use separate chopping boards and utensils or wash them thoroughly to avoid cross-contamination between raw meat, and any cooked or ready-to-eat foods.
- Make sure window coverings in your child's room can be washed or cleaned easily.
- If you do get scratched, wash the area thoroughly right away with soap and water.
- The water was cold and she only had a sliver of soap to wash herself with.
- Even curtains and blinds should be washed every now and then to remove dust.
- Trim the roots of the pak choi and thoroughly wash the leaves.
- Be sure to wash your own hands thoroughly after touching your child's eyes, and throw away items like gauze or cotton balls after they have been used.
Synonyms clean, cleanse, sponge, scrub, wipe, scour literary lave clean, cleanse, sponge, scrub, mop, hose down, squeegee, sluice (down), swill (down), douse, swab (down), flush, disinfect launder, clean, rinse (out) dry-clean literary lave shampoo, lather, clean - 1.1no object Clean oneself with soap and water.
he reached for the soap and began to wash Example sentencesExamples - I really feel in this day and age, everyone should be able to drink and wash in clean water.
- Inside, I filled my hands with soap, and washed furiously.
- I shoved my hands into the scalding water and began to wash.
- She finishes washing and dresses promptly in an active attire of trousers and tunic instead of a gown.
- The operator should wash thoroughly with soap and water before eating and smoking.
- The warm water greeted her and Heather began washing.
- To protect your face, we recommend that you wash with mild facial soap and lukewarm, not hot, water.
- I cleaned and scrubbed, washed and purified, showered and bathed and sponged and splashed.
- Areas of skin which are affected by psoriasis must be treated gently when you are washing.
- Despite the coolness of that morning, he was ordered to crouch naked and wash with soap under the cold water.
- He scrubbed and soaped and washed and finally just relaxed.
- She lathered her hands up with the rose smelling soap and began to wash.
- It's rotten having to wash in salt water as the soap won't lather in the slightest although it is supposed to be salt water soap.
- The men, both in their mid-forties, bearded and dressed in the local traditional baggy long shirt and trousers, washed, ate, prayed and then talked.
- To keep the colds away and to preserve your skin, stick to natural soaps, moisturise with lotions, wash frequently and use water!
- I washed and dressed in brown breeches and a black coat, not wanting to be encumbered by my heavy cloak.
- Then I quickly washed, dressed, combed my hair, and used cosmetics on my face.
- They were told to wash with soap and water and were sent home.
- Then I'd wash, clean my teeth, eat the meal and go to school.
- The patient revealed that he was visiting his wife's family and had washed with a scented soap sold by one of the nearby upscale stores.
Synonyms clean oneself, have a wash, wash oneself bathe, bath, shower, have a bath/shower, take a bath/shower, soak, douche, freshen up North American wash up formal or humorous perform one's ablutions dated make one's toilet - 1.2 (with reference to a stain or dirt) remove or be removed by cleaning with water and detergent.
with object and adverbial they have to keep washing the mould off the walls figurative all that hate can't wash away the guilt no object, with adverbial the dirt on his clothes would easily wash out Example sentencesExamples - She held up his head with one hand and with the other she used the shower head to wash some of the dirt out of his hair.
- This hose isn't powerful enough to wash all of the dirt off them.
- Time has worn it down and dirt has been washed away, but stains persist.
- Our guilt has been washed away, and we now can enter God's presence as freely as little children run to their Daddy.
- Pesticides can be easily washed off, the sort of vermin living in organic foods can not.
- I loved what I managed to see of New York, but my skin protested by sprouting ugly things, and it took several shampoos to wash New York dirt out of my hair.
- Mold can be washed off hard surfaces using detergent and water.
- Lucy breathed in deeply, and turned her head upwards, accepting the water, feeling it wash away her dirt and grime.
- Dirt, oil and bacteria are easily scrubbed off and washed away in this suspended state.
- She slowly undressed and then turned on the shower and let the hot water start to wash away all the dirt and grime from the day's activities.
- Often black sooty mold grows on the honeydew, but this mold can be gently washed off.
- One by one, rinse each leek under cool water, taking care to wash away any dirt trapped between its layers.
- She boiled the water and soaked in a large tub enjoying the hot scalding water against her cold skin, she washed all of the dirt from her hair, she felt her eyes droop and she fell asleep.
- The very reason we spend money on things like soap and washing machines is that we trust the dirt is temporary and can be washed away.
- In time, by coming clean, he may eventually wash some of the dirt off himself.
- Returning from his grimy hours of manual labour, he dives into a hotel to wash away the dirt, emerging clean and immaculate in a fresh suit and tie.
- Accumulated dust and dirt had been washed off all growing things, so any trees or shrubs were at their greenest.
- It can be washed away easily with water, even once it has dried onto something.
- I was hoping to die so that all my guilt would be washed away.
- For example, enzymes in laundry detergents break down dirt and stains so that they may be easily washed away, even in cold water.
Synonyms remove by washing, sponge off, scrub off, wipe off, rinse off, remove, flush out/away, expunge, eradicate - 1.3no object, with adverbial (of fabric, a garment, or dye) withstand cleaning to a specified degree without shrinking or fading.
a linen-mix yarn which washes well - 1.4no object Do one's laundry.
I need someone to cook and wash for me Example sentencesExamples - But for those who embrace traditional ideas about family roles, it is rather weird to see men busy cooking and washing.
- The prisoners were also made to cook and wash for the militiamen, who are mostly from nomadic tribes and who travel by horse and camel.
- My parents came to stay on Saturday, so most of last week was spent trying to get everything done at work then going straight home to tidy, clean, wash etc.
- In addition to washing, cooking, and performing custodial chores, some of these women sold baked goods and took in sewing.
- She had cooked and washed for the men, always at knifepoint.
- What do you do when you're not ironing, washing, cooking, and taking the children to and from school?
- He washed, scrubbed and cooked for all the people on board.
- She didn't talk much when she wasn't washing or cooking.
- But the lady who washes and cooks for us was also happy the party had won the local Assembly seat.
- Fewer young people can be seen there, only kids playing outside and elders washing or cooking.
- With the weed-spraying business she had to cook and wash and iron and generally look after hordes of itinerant workmen, as well as her own sons and husband.
- Women buy and sell in the markets, cook, wash, care for the pigs, and prepare offerings.
- One night I was in the laundry room reading and washing and Karen came in with a basket of clothes.
- They cook, wash, sell goods, provide medical advice.
- The river is where much of Southeast Asia comes alive, so expect to see children frolicking, men cormorant fishing and women washing and cooking in the shallows.
- For the first time in their lives I am cooking, washing and taking them to swimming at 5 o' clock in the morning every single day rather than once in a while.
- Then I look around and realise I haven't had time to wash or clean for three weeks and resignedly start picking at the bring-and-buy sale ranged round the bed.
- I know I'm gonna want somewhere to cook, wash, fall back on.
- 1.5literary Wet or moisten (something) thoroughly.
you are beautiful with your face washed with rain Example sentencesExamples - A sunny, rain washed morning on the cusp between summer and autumn is pretty close to heaven in my book, and a wonderful, crispy-clean way to start the day.
- Relief finally came three weeks later when nearly an inch of rain fell, washing the city and stabilizing the ash.
- If you're happy, it seems to be a soft, quiet rain that's washing the earth.
- Ministers and officers were sitting at a long table in the conference hall, a dull rain sorrowfully washing large windows.
2with object and adverbial of direction (of flowing water) carry (someone or something) in a particular direction. floods washed away the bridges Example sentencesExamples - Beach profiles have been transformed, as the waters washed sand back out to sea.
- The tidal waves washed away their raw materials and equipment.
- I tilted my head back, letting the water wash the dust and sweat off my face.
- Police think the body may not have been spotted before because it may have been washed down to that location after heavy rain.
- In 1920 Mungerannie homestead was washed away by flood waters more than a metre high.
- Slowly, she lathered her body with the softly scented soap, watching as the water washed it away in rivulets down her arms.
- It was washed away by the flood waters of Chartiers Creek.
- Three bridges along the main coast road have been washed away and helicopters were flying over flooded areas to help with rescue efforts.
- Despite their efforts and curses, the winds and the rogue waves wash them past any seemingly habitable islands.
- The rains are due but they will not supply enough water and will wash roads away, making aid deliveries tougher still.
- When it rains storm water washes the accumulated waste into the water sources.
- It replaced a lighthouse that had been built of wood and was washed away by the sea.
- Obediently he did so, but the waters washed them ashore undamaged.
- After rain, for example, it was relatively easy to find obsidian as the sand that covered it was washed away by the water.
- Eighteen people were missing after flood waters washed a bus off a national highway on Thursday.
- When planting, always firm in the rootballs well and, until the roots establish, surround each plant with stones to ensure they are not washed away if the water level temporarily rises.
- A cloudburst on Sunday afternoon caused the river to flood and they were washed off a low-level bridge.
- In 1978, a tropical cyclone, with destructive winds and huge waves, washed away large sections of the jetty near the shore.
- While trying to swim across to safety six of them were washed away by strong water current.
- Those organisms not securely fastened to the rocks will likely be torn free and washed ashore or carried into the open ocean.
Synonyms sweep, carry, convey, transport, move, deliver, deposit, drive erode, abrade, wear away, corrode, eat away, eat into, denude, grind down, undermine - 2.1no object, with adverbial of direction Be carried by flowing water.
an oil slick washed up on the beaches Example sentencesExamples - In 1994, 21 dolphins and three sperm whales washed ashore along the central coast of California
- For years there has been a problem with whales washing onto beaches.
- According to some reports, 16,000 birds have washed ashore dead.
- Then, on a subsequent large wave, the fish wash back into the ocean.
- Several dead beluga whales washed ashore recently in Alaska after dozens were temporarily stranded on mud flats during low tide.
- One forestry official pointed out that mountain forests were essential to prevent soil washing down the steep slopes in heavy rains.
- Disturbed by the impact of continual foot traffic, easily erodable soil washes away.
- The pollutants fall to earth in snow, rain, and dust particles, eventually washing into the many lakes and ponds that dot the region.
Synonyms sweep, carry, convey, transport, move, deliver, deposit, drive - 2.2no object, with adverbial of direction (especially of waves) sweep or splash in a particular direction.
the sea began to wash along the decks Example sentencesExamples - I spent an hour mesmerised by the waves, washing in and out across the sand, every now and then throwing up coloured gems.
- The couple, from Doncaster, were sleeping in their first-floor bedroom when the first wave hit and floodwater washed through the ground floor of their hotel.
- Also on clear water, look for any areas that are murky, perhaps close to in-flowing streams or where waves wash against a shoreline.
- The waves gently washed ashore, splashing on the rocks.
- At sunset I lounge in my four-poster bed and watch as the waves wash onto the rocks, spray hitting the veranda.
- The waves washed straight across 200 of them and destroyed every house on them.
- Soon, we had a new wall made from wet sand, and as the waves washed higher on the beach parts of that would collapse too.
- The deaths were often blamed on the victims' lack of alertness for the large waves that occasionally washed ashore.
- Low sibilant noises pulled me out of dreams of cold ocean waves washing on a shale beach.
- After several attempts and with large waves washing through the lifeboat, Crewman Rogers managed to bring three people over the bow.
- For every can of water he tossed out, another wave washed in.
- The sun shone brightly in the sky and the waves washed smoothly over their feet.
- So as the waves washed in and ran away again, she was soothed and mellowed.
- The waves washed against the cars and drenched those on the top.
- In Thailand, 30-foot waves washed ashore in the resort area of Phuket.
- He'd been meditating when the first wave arrived, almost washing into the temple, and now he was coordinating the distribution of aid to approximately 2000 people.
Synonyms splash, lap, splosh, dash, break, beat, strike, sweep, move, surge, ripple, roll, flow literary plash, lave - 2.3with object (of a river, sea, or lake) flow through or lap against (a country, coast, etc.)
offshore islands washed by warm blue seas Example sentencesExamples - Yes, the climate is extreme, but there is a definite autumn, winter, spring and summer thanks to the Gulf Stream, which washes the coastline.
- For warm-water swimming you have to take a trip to the eastern coast, which is washed by the Indian Ocean, half an hour or so away.
- The Atlantic Ocean washes Spain's north coast, the far northwest corner adjacent to Portugal, and the far southwestern zone between the Portuguese border and the Strait of Gibraltar.
- The Gulf Stream stopped washing the shores of northern Europe with the warm waters of the Caribbean thirteen years ago.
- Men envisioned a Caribbean where trade and economic corporation flows as easily as the tides that wash these blessed shores.
- I dream of travelling to the countries that are washed by the Mediterranean Sea.
- Beneath the Cape's rugged cliff faces, washed by blue, mauve and aquamarine seas, migrating humpback whales can be heard breathing at sunrise.
- 2.4with object Sift metallic particles from (earth or gravel) by running water through it.
the sand has been churned and washed by miners
3with object Brush with a thin coat of dilute paint or ink. the walls were washed with shades of umber Example sentencesExamples - The outside was washed in red paint, which was chipping due to age and weather conditions.
Synonyms paint, colour, apply paint to, tint, highlight, shade, dye, stain, distemper coat, cover - 3.1wash something with Coat inferior metal with (a film of gold or silver from a solution)
copper washed with silver Synonyms plate, cover, coat, overlay, laminate, veneer, glaze, gild, silver
4informal no object, with negative Seem convincing or genuine. charm won't wash with this crew Synonyms be accepted, be acceptable, be plausible, be convincing, hold up, hold water, stand up, bear scrutiny, stand the test of time, be believable/credible, pass muster, prove true, make sense informal stick
noun wɒʃ 1usually in singular An act of washing something or an instance of being washed. Example sentencesExamples - The shampoo smell was more of a mystery as I had never seen Antonio ever give anyone a hair wash.
- In the interim, carers have been going in to see her and they would certainly have offered her a wash.
- His eyes peer angrily out from a dirt-smeared face, his hair needs a good wash and the clothes he's wearing are definitely getting stinky.
- I hated not being able to have a wash, get wet clothes dry and having to walk in mud every day.
- Today I got up, used the toilet, had a wash, cleaned my teeth and ate my breakfast.
- It had some sort of profound effect upon me as later that afternoon I had a wash, including my hair, and changed my underwear.
- I help provide clients with a fresh change of clothes after they have had a hot meal and a wash.
- Dust-laden vehicles got a new lease of life with a nice wash.
- They were very dirty and needed a good wash, the blankets.
- Give that girl a bath, or at the very least a hair wash, some elocution lessons and the imagination to ask questions beyond the banal.
- Mark enjoyed a hair wash and trim while Carol was treated to a facial and Briony had a pedicure consultation as they prepared themselves for the Christmas break.
- The fragrance will linger on the clothes even after a wash.
- I did a quick wash of my hair and lathering of the rest of my body.
- The hairdresser massaged Peter's scalp during the wash, and was very careful using the cut-throat razor to tidy up.
- His clothes were dirty and in need of a good wash.
- At last we were able to have a shower and give our clothes a wash.
- It was also mentioned that some signs newly erected by Council were defaced and that a wash wouldn't do any harm to the old signs and would improve the legibility.
- They feel disabled physically, unable to do anything, unable to have a wash or go to the toilet.
- The dust and heat of Delhi summer was hard to live through, and we knew how difficult it was to have a decent wash in the summer when the whole city was hit by an acute shortage of water.
- All in all, he could do with a bit of a wash and a brush-up.
Synonyms clean, cleaning, cleansing shower, douche, dip, bath, soak formal or humorous ablutions rare lavation - 1.1 A quantity of clothes needing to be or just having been washed.
she hung out her Tuesday wash Example sentencesExamples - I am ‘punished’ for not doing the wash by having only dirty clothes to wear.
- I decided to use the opportunity to put on a wash.
- I do have a little exfoliating cloth thing that I use sometimes and then throw into the wash with the other laundry.
- Switching off the TV at night instead of leaving it on standby, saving the weekly wash until you've got a full load, and only boiling as much water as you need, can all save money.
- He helps with the evening meal, takes the little one swimming and talks the big one through his homework, bungs in a wash and then rolls up his sleeves for bathtime.
- Many women made their own soap and took a pride in hanging out a white wash.
- Kathryn was cackling happily as she dropped Olivia's purple sock into the wash with her brother's white underclothes.
- The outbuildings had rooms for drying beans, storing lumber, hanging the wash in bad weather.
- She kept picking my clean sports clothes out of the wash.
- When she looks at him, he starts to purr so she puts down her wash and scratches him behind the ears.
Synonyms laundry, washing dirty washing, dirty clothes, soiled linen British dated bagwash
2in singular The water or air disturbed by a moving boat or aircraft. Example sentencesExamples - It has been impossible to go out in my steamboat because it is long and narrow and could easily be rolled over by the wash from speedboats.
- When we land near water, the wash from the blades moves them around like floating logs.
- Another went racing across the wash of the boat, its sail and sickle shaped tail leaving no doubt as to its identity.
- My first thought was I had flown through jet wash from another aircraft.
- The main problem, Ray says, is the wake or wash left by the boat.
- Stand aft to look down on the wake frothing up from the propeller wash.
- The crew braces for shock, the boat shudders and a giant plume of boat wash is the only mark left in the faint moonlight as the boat races forward into harm's way.
- A witness was concerned the wash could endanger staff working on moored boats in the area, as well as swamping rowing boats in the Putney area.
- The jet wash at 13,000 feet was testimony to how close we were to swapping more than ‘paint’ on that fateful day.
- We passed over a number of waves created by their wash and then the last one swamped us.
- The 10 mph limit is no problem to the wildlife whose habitat is destroyed by pollutants and the wash from high-speed boats.
Synonyms backwash, backflow, wake, trail, train, path churning, disturbance - 2.1 The breaking of waves on a shore.
the wash of waves on the pebbled beach Example sentencesExamples - The seafront rooms hear a constant wash of incoming waves, but for most people this becomes a sleeping pill in the end.
- But there is a Caribbean calm, intense in the tropical sun, and the sedative wash of the waves.
- Above him, sea birds wheeled and called and although he couldn't see a beach, he could hear the gentle wash of waves on the shore.
Synonyms surge, flow, swell, welling, sweep, undulation, rise and fall, ebb and flow, roll, splash
3the WashAn inlet of the North Sea on the east coast of England between Norfolk and Lincolnshire. 4mass noun A medicinal or cleansing solution. Example sentencesExamples - Abbey took her time in the shower and used her favorite scented body wash.
- He had shampoo in his hair and he was using her body wash.
- He reached down and grabbed his bottle of body wash.
- Body lotions, shower washes and shampoos/conditioners in your favorite scents make great options now - as do body splashes or sprays, which are lighter than typical perfume products.
- Chill out with this delicious basil and lime body wash.
- Shampoo, toothpaste and body wash contain harmful toxins too.
- A scented body gel or wash, followed by a lotion of the same scent, helps build a powerful fragrance foundation.
- Use a single note body wash or lotion, like gardenia or tangerine, then lightly spray on a similar scent for a custom blend.
- I stripped and hopped in, taking my shampoo, conditioner, body wash, toothbrush and paste and sponge with me.
- The range includes body wash and deodorant in addition to eau de toilette.
- There were clean towels, a fresh, white robe hanging on the back of the door and brand new bottles of shampoo, conditioner and even body wash.
- It's nice and easy to just squirt the body wash all over yourself, rather than use soap.
- She then followed with a milk facial wash, a toner lotion and a new-generation deep biological cleansing cream.
- A lot of men are asking themselves an important question these days: should they use an exfoliating body wash or a loofah in the shower?
- Pamper yourself by using your favorite body wash and shampoo.
- She reached over to the small counter in the shower and picked up a bottle of body wash, scrubbing it gently over her skin.
- I grabbed my toothbrush and face wash from the bathroom and went into the kitchen.
- During treatment with prescribed medications, patients should use bland facial washes and moisturizers.
- Showering soon after a workout and using antibacterial acne washes on the face also help prevent blemishes.
- Tired of traipsing around the globe with shampoo, body wash, face cleanser, and 1,200 other grooming products?
Synonyms lotion, salve, application, preparation, rinse, liquid, liniment, embrocation, emulsion 5A layer of paint or metal spread thinly on a surface. the walls were covered with a pale lemon wash Example sentencesExamples - Most of the time these techniques employ glazes or washes applied over a solid colored background color.
- He'll mix it with pale washes of oil paint, but avoids getting into a paint process that would require thicker paint and building up layers of glazing.
- I introduced a variety of glazing techniques including light washes, layering, blending, blotting, spraying and antiquing.
- Stephens veils the pastoral subjects with milky washes that streak the surface, and a brown glaze that drips languorously down it.
- His paintings have the quality of screen prints at times: flat blockiness competes with spongy washes and the enticing effect of dry pigment dragged across a surface.
- Her variegated surfaces may be opaque or layered as transparent washes, glazed or scraped, scumbled, wiped down or sanded.
- The exhibition starts with Ferron's darker compositions of the '40s; often the weave of the canvas is visible through thin washes of oil paint.
- Three limpid watercolors reveal their development through a few washes applied to a pencil or ink line drawing, providing more graphic than chromatic complexity.
- The sun was setting in a wash of scarlet beyond the great hippodrome.
- The moon hung in the sky nearly full, spreading a luminous wash across the pale landscape.
- A watercolour wash is a fluid made up of water in which the colour particles brushed from cakes of pigment are suspended.
- Finally, rub down the wood to remove the splinters, give it a thin wash of acrylic paint and brush on the clear preservative.
- Throughout his life, possibly because of crippling arthritis, his preferred medium was watercolour, painted in luminous washes within tight well-defined outlines.
- Both cabinets are made of sycamore entirely ebonized, and the panels are painted with washes of brown and amber, so that the golden color of the close-grained wood shows through.
- Over the years Sol has used pencil, artist's crayon, Crayola crayons, chalk lines, ink washes and, as in our case, acrylic paint.
- The approach is similar to painting with thin washes of oil or watercolor.
- Using a thick brush, cover a sheet of paper with a bright wash of watery paint.
- A blue-green wash, visible through the light coatings of varnish, surrounds the central form.
- To produce his works, he screenprints one or more photographic images, sometimes a single one repeated, onto the canvas, overlaying them with acrylic washes of various densities.
- While the paint is still damp, I drop blobs of brown paint onto the wet wash, creating a random spotted pattern.
Synonyms paint, stain, varnish, coat, layer, film, overlay 6mass noun Silt or gravel carried by a stream or river and deposited as sediment. - 6.1count noun A sandbank exposed only at low tide.
7mass noun Kitchen slops and other food waste fed to pigs. Synonyms pigswill, hogwash, pigwash, mash 8mass noun Malt fermenting in preparation for distillation. Example sentencesExamples - Here they found three stills, two still heads and two worms, with five barrels of wash ready for distillation, and a quantity of yeast.
9North American informal in singular A situation or result that is of no benefit to either of two opposing sides. the plan's impact on jobs would be a wash, creating as many as it costs Example sentencesExamples - The additions of Edgardo Alfonzo, Ray Durham, Jose Cruz Jr. and Marquis Grissom likely will amount to a wash.
- With the rest of the season a wash, the team will experiment with players who could make an impact next season.
- If the matchup problems he creates can offset the matchup liabilities he endures on defense, he could play many opposing centers to a wash or better.
- He was out with a knee injury, and his rookie season looked like a wash.
- Together, the two films and DVD presentations cancel each other out, resulting in a wash for a recommendation.
- However, I think we have a ways to go in terms of convincing actuaries that in fact e-mail is at worst a wash and probably a benefit.
- By lunch, I was feeling better, but a good chunk of the morning was a bit of a wash.
Phrases informal Be resolved eventually with no lasting harm. he's not happy but he assures me it'll all come out in the wash Example sentencesExamples - It's probably saved me a lot of money in therapy because I am aware that it all comes out in the wash.
- After all, one might point out, defendants are not being ‘overtaxed’ by the tort system as long as the average award they pay is reasonable; they will groan at the high awards, gloat over the low ones, and it will all come out in the wash.
- The realisation induced a moment or two of panic, and then I shrugged and figured it would all come out in the wash.
- It'll all come out in the wash, as my Gran used to say.
- So by the time we come to sell up, it will all most likely have come out in the wash.
- In normal circumstances, these sorts of differences just come out in the wash.
- Don't worry about it, it'll come out in the wash.
- If governments act as they should, and everything else as it should, the market will take care of itself and everything will come out in the wash.
- As for my own view, I think it all comes out in the wash; some people are doing nasty things, some people are doing good things, been there, done that.
- I was hoping to wait until we saw each other, or to see if he got in touch with me at all - childish I know, but hey ho, we are good friends anyway, so it will all come out in the wash.
(of clothes, bed linen, or similar) put aside for washing or in the process of being washed. the sweater has shrunk a little in the wash Example sentencesExamples - I kept forgetting to put my clothes in the wash, so this morning when I got up, I realized that I had no clean gym clothes.
- At one point he even threw away all his underwear, thinking it might have shrunk in the wash and be constricting his leg.
- I spilled water on my shirt, and all my clothes are in the wash.
- I'm sure you could borrow something of Julianne's, and I could throw your stuff in the wash.
- You began to get a really bad fever and were sweating so she took your clothes and they are in the wash as we speak.
- Like an idiot, I threw my brand new wool sweater in the wash and then in the dryer, shrinking it down about three sizes, rendering it unwearable.
- I threw my clothes in the wash and then went for another shower.
- Remove excess clutter from countertops and shelves, put dirty towels in the wash, and organize along the way.
- I think doctors should wear a T-shirt, and as soon as it's dirty put it in the wash and put a new one on.
- Eventually my guests made up their minds, and the order was carefully written down by a young waitress whose clothes seemed to have shrunk in the wash.
wash one's dirty linen (or laundry) in public informal Discuss one's personal affairs in public. Example sentencesExamples - How much longer can the board go on washing their dirty linen in public?
- I'm certainly clear that one of the reasons why women are prepared to go to the family courts but not to the criminal courts is the fear of washing their dirty laundry in public.
- There are people who do believe we should not wash our dirty linen in public, but we don't agree.
- I'm not going to write about this here, because it wouldn't be fair and I don't believe in washing my dirty laundry in public.
- I take your point about their relative ease in front of the camera, but then these are people who like, and are used to, living their lives and washing their dirty linen in public.
- By doing this the team are washing their dirty laundry in public.
- Sadie hates the fact that she was washing her dirty laundry in public.
- Why should we wash our dirty linen in public as if we don't have structures to address our differences?
- In fact, they pride themselves on washing their dirty laundry in public.
- There is a terrible pressure within the community to close ranks, not to be seen in public, washing one's dirty linen in public.
Go to the toilet (used euphemistically).
Disclaim responsibility for. the social services washed their hands of his daughter Example sentencesExamples - We need to find the right balance between so-called ‘nannying’ and simply washing our hands of our people's health.
- They're washing their hands of the problem but also guaranteeing the landlords get their revenues, which are, of course, a form of tax revenue.
- But in recent interviews, he has tried to wash his hands of any responsibility for that mistake.
- Like some libertarian Pontius Pilate, he washed his hands of any responsibility, skillfully uncoupling the role of the executive from execution.
- The Conservatives, on the other hand, believe sprawl is a provincial and municipal issue, and are washing their hands of it.
- It was a show they had virtually washed their hands of and abandoned, but one which they didn't actually realise was, in itself, a sensation.
- As an executive who is responsible for financial affairs, he should not be washing his hands of the matter in such a way.
- And she is angry that a town whose residents often complain about teenagers behaving badly are contemplating washing their hands of a scheme which is tackling the problem.
- Structural injustice occurs when we let the system oppress the poor and the defenseless by washing our hands of the matter or simply walking away from the victims.
- By this time the American representatives of the governing body had washed their hands of all responsibility and even stopped attending board meetings.
Synonyms disown, disclaim, renounce, reject, abjure, forswear, disavow, have nothing to do with, have done with, be finished/through with, give up on, turn one's back on, cast aside, end relations with, abandon Law disaffirm
wash one's mouth out (with soap and water) often as imperativeStop swearing. Example sentencesExamples - Ian should wash his mouth out with soap!
- Both sides, whilst washing their mouths out with soap, may still ponder the title.
- I had no idea that she could even utter that word without wanting to wash her mouth out.
- You people should go wash your mouths out.
- Your mom may have once threatened to wash your mouth out with soap.
- He should get up, withdraw and apologise, and wash his mouth out.
- The Minister should wash her mouth out.
- But when it comes to the economy, I'm not ready to wash my mouth out just yet.
- When we were boys Mum told my brothers and I not to use rude words or she'd wash our mouths out with soap.
- Have my mother wash my mouth out with soap on public access tv
Phrasal Verbs Accompany or follow food with a drink. bacon and eggs washed down with a cup of tea Example sentencesExamples - Every recreational hard drug conceivable is washed down with booze, both bought and stolen.
- All of this was washed down with a couple of glasses of Cabernet Sauvignon and a glass of port.
- Hundreds of sausages and burgers were washed down with pints of guest ale and resident brews.
- I am told sticky toffee pudding is often served with custard, fresh cream, ice-cream or yogurt, but it's also fine as is, washed down with a cup of good tea.
- We had a couple beers to wash the food down and then headed back into town.
- This was all washed down with coffee and orange juice.
- He took his drinks so seriously that he could give a lecture on why a certain kind of trout should be washed down with red wine and not white wine.
- He seemed both tired and restless by the time the meal was washed down with a cupful of water.
- Here, hearty staples can be washed down with a selection of moderately priced wines.
- All of this was washed down with generous piping hot glasses of mulled wine.
wash out (or wash someone out) Be excluded (or exclude someone) from a course or position after a failure to meet the required standards. a lot of them had washed out of pilot training Example sentencesExamples - I don't know if this really impaired his flying ability, but unfortunately Bernie didn't make it and I had to wash him out.
- After I was washed out of flight school, I was sent to a separate barracks with other men who had also failed their check-ride to await reassignment.
- However, the commander told me that I had not soloed in ten hours and he was going to wash me out.
- People were trying to wash him out, and it's lit a fire under him.
- Paperwork was initiated to declare him unstable, a misfit, and wash him out of military service with a Section-8 discharge as ‘unsuitable for military service.’
1Cause an event to be postponed or cancelled because of rain. their match against Australia was washed out Example sentencesExamples - The two semi final matches were washed out by rain and according to the rules the finalists were decided on the net run rate.
- Play started just an hour late after the previous two days had been washed out by heavy rain and a waterlogged outfield.
- Farnworth were robbed of their big chance to gain ground on Egerton when their head-to-head was washed out on Saturday.
- England's only realistic hope of avoiding defeat lay with the weather and their prayers were answered as Sunday's first two sessions were washed out by rain.
- Forget the problems at the league stage, if the final and all reserve days were washed out due to rain, the trophy would be shared.
- The farm was flooded, the farmers markets were washed out week after week, and Greg and Andy's cash flow went down the drain.
- The event was washed out by flash floods in the pre-dawn hours on the day of the race.
- On June 30, 1934, Lou Gehrig of the Yankees would have tied a major league record with three triples in a game but the incomplete game was washed out by rain.
- An hour or two later torrential rain began to fall and the show was washed out.
- Newburgh in Fife, for instance, saw their games cancelled not once, but twice, after the original event was washed out - and the day on which the event was rescheduled proved wet too.
2(of a flood or downpour) make a breach in a road. the water washed out three highways Example sentencesExamples - It had been there hundreds of years but until Hawnby Bridge was washed out by the weekend's flash floods nobody appreciated it.
- All the roads were washed out so our helicopters are the only way in.
- Trailers are toppled, roads are washed out and equipment is bent and broken.
- A mile or so of the road had been washed out by a flood in 1995, and the agency had decided to keep it closed, saying that construction would hasten erosion and threaten the river's dwindling population of bull trout.
- Most roads and bridges servicing plantations were washed out.
- Even after Addie has been dead over a week, and all of the bridges to Jefferson are washed out, he is still determined to get to Jefferson.
- She said the entire island, which is about 14 miles wide, by the way, is covered in about four feet of water, that the ferries aren't running and all their roads are washed out.
- A woman in labour was air-lifted from Ruatahuna to Rotorua Hospital, while about 30 people are cut off from civilisation in Ruatoki after access roads were washed out.
1Clean crockery and cutlery after use. I cook for him, but he must wash up Example sentencesExamples - With the majority of the dishes dry and the pots suitably soaked, wash them up, dry them and you're done, except for emptying the sink and wiping down the counters and sink.
- When I get home from work I have to cook, do a bit of washing up, eat, clean a bit - there's always something that needs my attention.
- I put my dish in the sink and started to wash the plates up.
- Forget about buying the food, cooking the dinner, washing up or organising the New Year party - just relax and concentrate on spending time with your loved ones.
- Sometimes my housemates use my stuff and don't wash it up.
- But instead of washing it up right away and taking it to the kitchen, I'd shove it into the lunch container and get back to work, vowing to wash it at home tonight and bring it back tomorrow.
- I help her with cleaning, vacuuming, washing up, chopping vegetables, and a bit of cooking.
- He finished crunching up his toast and absent-mindedly washed the plate up, putting it back in the cupboard with the others.
- I can't think of a better way to end a moving day - food and booze, and not having to wash up afterwards.
- It will take them two days, using machines, to wash up the china and cutlery.
Synonyms wash the dishes, wash the crockery, do the dishes, do the washing-up clean, rinse, do, scrub, scour 2Clean one's hands and face. supper's about done—go wash up Example sentencesExamples - I think I will go wash up, but I have clean clothes, soap, and a towel.
- On the table are some clean clothes for you to wear after you wash up.
- Okay, let me wash up and change into a clean shirt and we'll take off.
- At the camp, dozens of men jockey for bathroom and kitchen space, getting dressed, washing up, making lunch.
- After washing up and changing I crawled under the covers and fell asleep almost immediately.
- Safety experts urge patients to ask their doctors if they've washed up.
- While he cleans up in my parents bathroom, I wash up in mine.
- As we walked into the place, I told him we were going to head into the bathroom to go potty and wash up before eating.
- This could come in use when you are in a big hurry but still need to wash up.
- The men cleaned their boots off, washed up, and everyone sat down to supper.
Synonyms clean oneself, have a wash, wash oneself
1(of a feeling) affect (someone) suddenly. a deep feeling of sadness washed over her Example sentencesExamples - Suddenly Selena felt a wave of sadness washing over her.
- She felt a sudden burst of shyness wash over her and suddenly felt extremely embarrassed for wearing a towel.
- I felt a surge of sadness washing over me as I held him.
- Guilt washed over James, even though his father seemed undisturbed by his outburst.
- When I heard their footsteps fade and their door close I felt a sudden wave of relief wash over me.
- As the plane touched down, the fatigue and stress suddenly washed over me and I nearly burst into tears.
- My eyelids begin to droop, and a sudden wave of exhaustion washes over me.
- I exhaled, a wave of sadness and regret washing over me.
- A mixture of happiness and guilt washed over her, and she could only sigh.
- Audrey wasn't sure if the sudden spinning feeling that washed over her was one of relief of regret.
- When he didn't call again, a wave of sadness washed over me, but it contained a bit of relief.
- He felt a wave of sadness wash over him again, but he ignored it, like he did every day.
- I wailed, a sudden sensation of hopelessness washing over me.
- The guilt washed over me like storm clouds being pushed by the northern winds.
- Tears came like a sudden wave of sadness, washing over me.
- Therese stepped into the stables, a sudden wave of suspicion washing over her.
- I bit my lower lip as if a moment of clarity had suddenly washed over me and I realized what I had just agreed to.
- The pain from his wounds suddenly washed over him like a tidal wave, ten times worse than before.
- Suddenly a wave of homesickness washed over me, almost more than I could bear.
- I suddenly felt a peace wash over me, and I knew he'd heard and all was forgiven.
Synonyms affect, rush over/through, thrill through, race over, surge through, course through, flood over, flow over, sweep over, flutter through - 1.1Occur all around without greatly affecting (someone)
she allowed the babble of conversation to wash over her Example sentencesExamples - So I decided to let the intense clamour of conversation wash over me and enjoy it.
- For the rest of the journey Mary allowed the conversation to wash over her and she finally felt normal.
- Other times, I'll just sit there, letting the conversation wash over me, convinced that I have nothing useful or interesting to add.
Origin Old English wæscan (verb), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch wassen, German waschen, also to water. An Old English word that is related to water. Someone who is washed up is no longer effective or successful—they are like something thrown up on to a beach. The first example of the expression, from the 1920s in the USA, states that it is stage slang. Similarly ineffective or disappointing is a wash-out, recorded from around 1900, which in RAF slang was specifically a person who failed a training course. To wash your hands is a euphemism for going to the lavatory—a male equivalent of powdering your nose, used since the 1930s. To wash your hands of, or disclaim responsibility for, is a biblical allusion to the Gospel of Matthew. Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judaea who presided at the trial of Jesus, was unwilling to authorize his crucifixion, but saw that the crowd were intent on his death. ‘He [Pilate] took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person.’
Rhymes awash, Bosch, bosh, brioche, cloche, cohosh, cosh, dosh, Foch, galosh, gosh, josh, mosh, nosh, posh, quash, slosh, splosh, squash, swash, tosh Definition of wash in US English: washverb 1with object Clean with water and, typically, soap or detergent. I stripped and washed myself all over Example sentencesExamples - Each time it is returned, he merely washes it thoroughly and wears it again.
- If you do get scratched, wash the area thoroughly right away with soap and water.
- The plaintiffs had it cleaned and washed down on two occasions to get concrete and efflorescence off the walls.
- Be sure to wash your own hands thoroughly after touching your child's eyes, and throw away items like gauze or cotton balls after they have been used.
- I lathered up and washed myself with honeysuckle-scented soap.
- She realized her dress was covered in dirt and soot, and that she had not washed herself in a few days.
- While everything cooks, wash and chop the parsley, dice the ham, toast the hazelnuts in a dry skillet and chop them roughly.
- Use separate chopping boards and utensils or wash them thoroughly to avoid cross-contamination between raw meat, and any cooked or ready-to-eat foods.
- Be sure to keep your hands away from your eyes until you've washed them thoroughly.
- After scrubbing with a nylon brush, thoroughly wash the area.
- Even curtains and blinds should be washed every now and then to remove dust.
- She expresses an interest in the attractive silk shirts they are washing.
- The only way I have found to get my spectacles really clean is to wash them in soap and warm water.
- The water was cold and she only had a sliver of soap to wash herself with.
- Trim the roots of the pak choi and thoroughly wash the leaves.
- The books and papers will first be washed in clean water with a very mild detergent to remove the dirt and debris.
- After the children left laundry was sorted, washed and ironed.
- Make sure window coverings in your child's room can be washed or cleaned easily.
- She took out few clean tomatoes and lettuce and washed them thoroughly.
- Every article of clothing reeks of foul-smelling smoke and those that cannot easily be washed have to be hung outside for days.
Synonyms clean, cleanse, sponge, scrub, wipe, scour clean, cleanse, sponge, scrub, mop, hose down, squeegee, sluice, sluice down, swill, swill down, douse, swab, swab down, flush, disinfect launder, clean, rinse, rinse out shampoo, lather, clean - 1.1no object Clean oneself, especially one's hands and face with soap and water.
Example sentencesExamples - It's rotten having to wash in salt water as the soap won't lather in the slightest although it is supposed to be salt water soap.
- Then I quickly washed, dressed, combed my hair, and used cosmetics on my face.
- Despite the coolness of that morning, he was ordered to crouch naked and wash with soap under the cold water.
- She lathered her hands up with the rose smelling soap and began to wash.
- She finishes washing and dresses promptly in an active attire of trousers and tunic instead of a gown.
- The men, both in their mid-forties, bearded and dressed in the local traditional baggy long shirt and trousers, washed, ate, prayed and then talked.
- I cleaned and scrubbed, washed and purified, showered and bathed and sponged and splashed.
- To keep the colds away and to preserve your skin, stick to natural soaps, moisturise with lotions, wash frequently and use water!
- I really feel in this day and age, everyone should be able to drink and wash in clean water.
- The warm water greeted her and Heather began washing.
- I shoved my hands into the scalding water and began to wash.
- The patient revealed that he was visiting his wife's family and had washed with a scented soap sold by one of the nearby upscale stores.
- I washed and dressed in brown breeches and a black coat, not wanting to be encumbered by my heavy cloak.
- Inside, I filled my hands with soap, and washed furiously.
- They were told to wash with soap and water and were sent home.
- To protect your face, we recommend that you wash with mild facial soap and lukewarm, not hot, water.
- He scrubbed and soaped and washed and finally just relaxed.
- Then I'd wash, clean my teeth, eat the meal and go to school.
- Areas of skin which are affected by psoriasis must be treated gently when you are washing.
- The operator should wash thoroughly with soap and water before eating and smoking.
Synonyms clean oneself, have a wash, wash oneself - 1.2 (with reference to a stain or dirt) remove or be removed by cleaning with water and detergent.
they have to keep washing the mold off the walls figurative all that hate can't wash away the guilt no object, with adverbial the dirt on his clothes would easily wash out Example sentencesExamples - Returning from his grimy hours of manual labour, he dives into a hotel to wash away the dirt, emerging clean and immaculate in a fresh suit and tie.
- Accumulated dust and dirt had been washed off all growing things, so any trees or shrubs were at their greenest.
- She boiled the water and soaked in a large tub enjoying the hot scalding water against her cold skin, she washed all of the dirt from her hair, she felt her eyes droop and she fell asleep.
- Dirt, oil and bacteria are easily scrubbed off and washed away in this suspended state.
- Our guilt has been washed away, and we now can enter God's presence as freely as little children run to their Daddy.
- She slowly undressed and then turned on the shower and let the hot water start to wash away all the dirt and grime from the day's activities.
- Time has worn it down and dirt has been washed away, but stains persist.
- Pesticides can be easily washed off, the sort of vermin living in organic foods can not.
- I was hoping to die so that all my guilt would be washed away.
- The very reason we spend money on things like soap and washing machines is that we trust the dirt is temporary and can be washed away.
- Often black sooty mold grows on the honeydew, but this mold can be gently washed off.
- Lucy breathed in deeply, and turned her head upwards, accepting the water, feeling it wash away her dirt and grime.
- For example, enzymes in laundry detergents break down dirt and stains so that they may be easily washed away, even in cold water.
- Mold can be washed off hard surfaces using detergent and water.
- One by one, rinse each leek under cool water, taking care to wash away any dirt trapped between its layers.
- She held up his head with one hand and with the other she used the shower head to wash some of the dirt out of his hair.
- It can be washed away easily with water, even once it has dried onto something.
- This hose isn't powerful enough to wash all of the dirt off them.
- In time, by coming clean, he may eventually wash some of the dirt off himself.
- I loved what I managed to see of New York, but my skin protested by sprouting ugly things, and it took several shampoos to wash New York dirt out of my hair.
Synonyms remove by washing, sponge off, scrub off, wipe off, rinse off, remove, flush away, flush out, expunge, eradicate - 1.3no object, with adverbial (of fabric, a garment, or dye) withstand cleaning to a specified degree without shrinking or fading.
a linen-mix yarn that washes well - 1.4no object Do one's laundry.
I need someone to cook and wash for me Example sentencesExamples - He washed, scrubbed and cooked for all the people on board.
- Women buy and sell in the markets, cook, wash, care for the pigs, and prepare offerings.
- Fewer young people can be seen there, only kids playing outside and elders washing or cooking.
- One night I was in the laundry room reading and washing and Karen came in with a basket of clothes.
- But the lady who washes and cooks for us was also happy the party had won the local Assembly seat.
- My parents came to stay on Saturday, so most of last week was spent trying to get everything done at work then going straight home to tidy, clean, wash etc.
- For the first time in their lives I am cooking, washing and taking them to swimming at 5 o' clock in the morning every single day rather than once in a while.
- The prisoners were also made to cook and wash for the militiamen, who are mostly from nomadic tribes and who travel by horse and camel.
- Then I look around and realise I haven't had time to wash or clean for three weeks and resignedly start picking at the bring-and-buy sale ranged round the bed.
- With the weed-spraying business she had to cook and wash and iron and generally look after hordes of itinerant workmen, as well as her own sons and husband.
- In addition to washing, cooking, and performing custodial chores, some of these women sold baked goods and took in sewing.
- What do you do when you're not ironing, washing, cooking, and taking the children to and from school?
- But for those who embrace traditional ideas about family roles, it is rather weird to see men busy cooking and washing.
- She had cooked and washed for the men, always at knifepoint.
- I know I'm gonna want somewhere to cook, wash, fall back on.
- She didn't talk much when she wasn't washing or cooking.
- They cook, wash, sell goods, provide medical advice.
- The river is where much of Southeast Asia comes alive, so expect to see children frolicking, men cormorant fishing and women washing and cooking in the shallows.
- 1.5literary Wet or moisten (something) thoroughly.
you are beautiful with your face washed with rain Example sentencesExamples - Ministers and officers were sitting at a long table in the conference hall, a dull rain sorrowfully washing large windows.
- A sunny, rain washed morning on the cusp between summer and autumn is pretty close to heaven in my book, and a wonderful, crispy-clean way to start the day.
- If you're happy, it seems to be a soft, quiet rain that's washing the earth.
- Relief finally came three weeks later when nearly an inch of rain fell, washing the city and stabilizing the ash.
2with object and adverbial of direction (of flowing water) carry (someone or something) in a particular direction. floods washed away the bridges Example sentencesExamples - Those organisms not securely fastened to the rocks will likely be torn free and washed ashore or carried into the open ocean.
- The rains are due but they will not supply enough water and will wash roads away, making aid deliveries tougher still.
- Beach profiles have been transformed, as the waters washed sand back out to sea.
- Police think the body may not have been spotted before because it may have been washed down to that location after heavy rain.
- After rain, for example, it was relatively easy to find obsidian as the sand that covered it was washed away by the water.
- Obediently he did so, but the waters washed them ashore undamaged.
- Three bridges along the main coast road have been washed away and helicopters were flying over flooded areas to help with rescue efforts.
- In 1920 Mungerannie homestead was washed away by flood waters more than a metre high.
- Despite their efforts and curses, the winds and the rogue waves wash them past any seemingly habitable islands.
- I tilted my head back, letting the water wash the dust and sweat off my face.
- Eighteen people were missing after flood waters washed a bus off a national highway on Thursday.
- It was washed away by the flood waters of Chartiers Creek.
- While trying to swim across to safety six of them were washed away by strong water current.
- When planting, always firm in the rootballs well and, until the roots establish, surround each plant with stones to ensure they are not washed away if the water level temporarily rises.
- In 1978, a tropical cyclone, with destructive winds and huge waves, washed away large sections of the jetty near the shore.
- When it rains storm water washes the accumulated waste into the water sources.
- Slowly, she lathered her body with the softly scented soap, watching as the water washed it away in rivulets down her arms.
- The tidal waves washed away their raw materials and equipment.
- A cloudburst on Sunday afternoon caused the river to flood and they were washed off a low-level bridge.
- It replaced a lighthouse that had been built of wood and was washed away by the sea.
Synonyms sweep, carry, convey, transport, move, deliver, deposit, drive erode, abrade, wear away, corrode, eat away, eat into, denude, grind down, undermine - 2.1no object, with adverbial of direction Be carried by flowing water.
an oil slick washed up on the beaches Example sentencesExamples - In 1994, 21 dolphins and three sperm whales washed ashore along the central coast of California
- Several dead beluga whales washed ashore recently in Alaska after dozens were temporarily stranded on mud flats during low tide.
- For years there has been a problem with whales washing onto beaches.
- Then, on a subsequent large wave, the fish wash back into the ocean.
- The pollutants fall to earth in snow, rain, and dust particles, eventually washing into the many lakes and ponds that dot the region.
- One forestry official pointed out that mountain forests were essential to prevent soil washing down the steep slopes in heavy rains.
- Disturbed by the impact of continual foot traffic, easily erodable soil washes away.
- According to some reports, 16,000 birds have washed ashore dead.
Synonyms sweep, carry, convey, transport, move, deliver, deposit, drive - 2.2no object, with adverbial of direction (especially of waves) sweep, move, or splash in a particular direction.
the sea began to wash along the decks Example sentencesExamples - Soon, we had a new wall made from wet sand, and as the waves washed higher on the beach parts of that would collapse too.
- In Thailand, 30-foot waves washed ashore in the resort area of Phuket.
- The waves washed against the cars and drenched those on the top.
- The waves washed straight across 200 of them and destroyed every house on them.
- The couple, from Doncaster, were sleeping in their first-floor bedroom when the first wave hit and floodwater washed through the ground floor of their hotel.
- Also on clear water, look for any areas that are murky, perhaps close to in-flowing streams or where waves wash against a shoreline.
- For every can of water he tossed out, another wave washed in.
- At sunset I lounge in my four-poster bed and watch as the waves wash onto the rocks, spray hitting the veranda.
- I spent an hour mesmerised by the waves, washing in and out across the sand, every now and then throwing up coloured gems.
- He'd been meditating when the first wave arrived, almost washing into the temple, and now he was coordinating the distribution of aid to approximately 2000 people.
- After several attempts and with large waves washing through the lifeboat, Crewman Rogers managed to bring three people over the bow.
- The deaths were often blamed on the victims' lack of alertness for the large waves that occasionally washed ashore.
- The sun shone brightly in the sky and the waves washed smoothly over their feet.
- The waves gently washed ashore, splashing on the rocks.
- So as the waves washed in and ran away again, she was soothed and mellowed.
- Low sibilant noises pulled me out of dreams of cold ocean waves washing on a shale beach.
Synonyms splash, lap, splosh, dash, break, beat, strike, sweep, move, surge, ripple, roll, flow - 2.3 (of a river, sea, or lake) flow through or lap against (a country, coast, etc.)
offshore islands washed by warm blue seas Example sentencesExamples - The Gulf Stream stopped washing the shores of northern Europe with the warm waters of the Caribbean thirteen years ago.
- For warm-water swimming you have to take a trip to the eastern coast, which is washed by the Indian Ocean, half an hour or so away.
- The Atlantic Ocean washes Spain's north coast, the far northwest corner adjacent to Portugal, and the far southwestern zone between the Portuguese border and the Strait of Gibraltar.
- Men envisioned a Caribbean where trade and economic corporation flows as easily as the tides that wash these blessed shores.
- Yes, the climate is extreme, but there is a definite autumn, winter, spring and summer thanks to the Gulf Stream, which washes the coastline.
- I dream of travelling to the countries that are washed by the Mediterranean Sea.
- Beneath the Cape's rugged cliff faces, washed by blue, mauve and aquamarine seas, migrating humpback whales can be heard breathing at sunrise.
- 2.4 Sift metallic particles from (earth or gravel) by running water through it.
3with object Brush with a thin coat of diluted paint or ink. the walls were washed with shades of umber Example sentencesExamples - The outside was washed in red paint, which was chipping due to age and weather conditions.
Synonyms paint, colour, apply paint to, tint, highlight, shade, dye, stain, distemper - 3.1wash something with Coat inferior metal with (a film of gold or silver from a solution).
Synonyms plate, cover, coat, overlay, laminate, veneer, glaze, gild, silver
4informal no object, with negative Seem convincing or genuine. charm won't wash with this crew Synonyms be accepted, be acceptable, be plausible, be convincing, hold up, hold water, stand up, bear scrutiny, stand the test of time, be believable, be credible, pass muster, prove true, make sense
noun 1usually in singular An act of washing something or an instance of being washed. Example sentencesExamples - They feel disabled physically, unable to do anything, unable to have a wash or go to the toilet.
- The hairdresser massaged Peter's scalp during the wash, and was very careful using the cut-throat razor to tidy up.
- Today I got up, used the toilet, had a wash, cleaned my teeth and ate my breakfast.
- His eyes peer angrily out from a dirt-smeared face, his hair needs a good wash and the clothes he's wearing are definitely getting stinky.
- In the interim, carers have been going in to see her and they would certainly have offered her a wash.
- His clothes were dirty and in need of a good wash.
- It was also mentioned that some signs newly erected by Council were defaced and that a wash wouldn't do any harm to the old signs and would improve the legibility.
- Dust-laden vehicles got a new lease of life with a nice wash.
- Give that girl a bath, or at the very least a hair wash, some elocution lessons and the imagination to ask questions beyond the banal.
- They were very dirty and needed a good wash, the blankets.
- It had some sort of profound effect upon me as later that afternoon I had a wash, including my hair, and changed my underwear.
- I hated not being able to have a wash, get wet clothes dry and having to walk in mud every day.
- The fragrance will linger on the clothes even after a wash.
- At last we were able to have a shower and give our clothes a wash.
- I help provide clients with a fresh change of clothes after they have had a hot meal and a wash.
- I did a quick wash of my hair and lathering of the rest of my body.
- All in all, he could do with a bit of a wash and a brush-up.
- The dust and heat of Delhi summer was hard to live through, and we knew how difficult it was to have a decent wash in the summer when the whole city was hit by an acute shortage of water.
- The shampoo smell was more of a mystery as I had never seen Antonio ever give anyone a hair wash.
- Mark enjoyed a hair wash and trim while Carol was treated to a facial and Briony had a pedicure consultation as they prepared themselves for the Christmas break.
Synonyms clean, cleaning, cleansing - 1.1 A quantity of clothes needing to be or just having been washed.
she hung out her Tuesday wash Example sentencesExamples - When she looks at him, he starts to purr so she puts down her wash and scratches him behind the ears.
- He helps with the evening meal, takes the little one swimming and talks the big one through his homework, bungs in a wash and then rolls up his sleeves for bathtime.
- Switching off the TV at night instead of leaving it on standby, saving the weekly wash until you've got a full load, and only boiling as much water as you need, can all save money.
- The outbuildings had rooms for drying beans, storing lumber, hanging the wash in bad weather.
- She kept picking my clean sports clothes out of the wash.
- Kathryn was cackling happily as she dropped Olivia's purple sock into the wash with her brother's white underclothes.
- I am ‘punished’ for not doing the wash by having only dirty clothes to wear.
- I decided to use the opportunity to put on a wash.
- Many women made their own soap and took a pride in hanging out a white wash.
- I do have a little exfoliating cloth thing that I use sometimes and then throw into the wash with the other laundry.
2in singular The disturbed water or air behind a moving boat or aircraft or the sound made by this. Example sentencesExamples - Another went racing across the wash of the boat, its sail and sickle shaped tail leaving no doubt as to its identity.
- The jet wash at 13,000 feet was testimony to how close we were to swapping more than ‘paint’ on that fateful day.
- Stand aft to look down on the wake frothing up from the propeller wash.
- When we land near water, the wash from the blades moves them around like floating logs.
- The main problem, Ray says, is the wake or wash left by the boat.
- The 10 mph limit is no problem to the wildlife whose habitat is destroyed by pollutants and the wash from high-speed boats.
- We passed over a number of waves created by their wash and then the last one swamped us.
- It has been impossible to go out in my steamboat because it is long and narrow and could easily be rolled over by the wash from speedboats.
- A witness was concerned the wash could endanger staff working on moored boats in the area, as well as swamping rowing boats in the Putney area.
- My first thought was I had flown through jet wash from another aircraft.
- The crew braces for shock, the boat shudders and a giant plume of boat wash is the only mark left in the faint moonlight as the boat races forward into harm's way.
Synonyms backwash, backflow, wake, trail, train, path - 2.1 The surging of water or breaking of waves or the sound made by this.
the wash of waves on the pebbled beach Example sentencesExamples - The seafront rooms hear a constant wash of incoming waves, but for most people this becomes a sleeping pill in the end.
- But there is a Caribbean calm, intense in the tropical sun, and the sedative wash of the waves.
- Above him, sea birds wheeled and called and although he couldn't see a beach, he could hear the gentle wash of waves on the shore.
Synonyms surge, flow, swell, welling, sweep, undulation, rise and fall, ebb and flow, roll, splash
3A medicinal or cleansing solution. Example sentencesExamples - The range includes body wash and deodorant in addition to eau de toilette.
- He had shampoo in his hair and he was using her body wash.
- A lot of men are asking themselves an important question these days: should they use an exfoliating body wash or a loofah in the shower?
- A scented body gel or wash, followed by a lotion of the same scent, helps build a powerful fragrance foundation.
- There were clean towels, a fresh, white robe hanging on the back of the door and brand new bottles of shampoo, conditioner and even body wash.
- I stripped and hopped in, taking my shampoo, conditioner, body wash, toothbrush and paste and sponge with me.
- She then followed with a milk facial wash, a toner lotion and a new-generation deep biological cleansing cream.
- Chill out with this delicious basil and lime body wash.
- Use a single note body wash or lotion, like gardenia or tangerine, then lightly spray on a similar scent for a custom blend.
- I grabbed my toothbrush and face wash from the bathroom and went into the kitchen.
- He reached down and grabbed his bottle of body wash.
- She reached over to the small counter in the shower and picked up a bottle of body wash, scrubbing it gently over her skin.
- Showering soon after a workout and using antibacterial acne washes on the face also help prevent blemishes.
- Abbey took her time in the shower and used her favorite scented body wash.
- Body lotions, shower washes and shampoos/conditioners in your favorite scents make great options now - as do body splashes or sprays, which are lighter than typical perfume products.
- It's nice and easy to just squirt the body wash all over yourself, rather than use soap.
- Shampoo, toothpaste and body wash contain harmful toxins too.
- During treatment with prescribed medications, patients should use bland facial washes and moisturizers.
- Tired of traipsing around the globe with shampoo, body wash, face cleanser, and 1,200 other grooming products?
- Pamper yourself by using your favorite body wash and shampoo.
Synonyms lotion, salve, application, preparation, rinse, liquid, liniment, embrocation, emulsion 4A layer of paint or metal spread thinly on a surface. the walls were covered with a pale lemon wash Example sentencesExamples - He'll mix it with pale washes of oil paint, but avoids getting into a paint process that would require thicker paint and building up layers of glazing.
- Finally, rub down the wood to remove the splinters, give it a thin wash of acrylic paint and brush on the clear preservative.
- The exhibition starts with Ferron's darker compositions of the '40s; often the weave of the canvas is visible through thin washes of oil paint.
- Stephens veils the pastoral subjects with milky washes that streak the surface, and a brown glaze that drips languorously down it.
- While the paint is still damp, I drop blobs of brown paint onto the wet wash, creating a random spotted pattern.
- Both cabinets are made of sycamore entirely ebonized, and the panels are painted with washes of brown and amber, so that the golden color of the close-grained wood shows through.
- I introduced a variety of glazing techniques including light washes, layering, blending, blotting, spraying and antiquing.
- To produce his works, he screenprints one or more photographic images, sometimes a single one repeated, onto the canvas, overlaying them with acrylic washes of various densities.
- The approach is similar to painting with thin washes of oil or watercolor.
- His paintings have the quality of screen prints at times: flat blockiness competes with spongy washes and the enticing effect of dry pigment dragged across a surface.
- The moon hung in the sky nearly full, spreading a luminous wash across the pale landscape.
- Her variegated surfaces may be opaque or layered as transparent washes, glazed or scraped, scumbled, wiped down or sanded.
- The sun was setting in a wash of scarlet beyond the great hippodrome.
- Three limpid watercolors reveal their development through a few washes applied to a pencil or ink line drawing, providing more graphic than chromatic complexity.
- Most of the time these techniques employ glazes or washes applied over a solid colored background color.
- Throughout his life, possibly because of crippling arthritis, his preferred medium was watercolour, painted in luminous washes within tight well-defined outlines.
- A watercolour wash is a fluid made up of water in which the colour particles brushed from cakes of pigment are suspended.
- Over the years Sol has used pencil, artist's crayon, Crayola crayons, chalk lines, ink washes and, as in our case, acrylic paint.
- A blue-green wash, visible through the light coatings of varnish, surrounds the central form.
- Using a thick brush, cover a sheet of paper with a bright wash of watery paint.
Synonyms paint, stain, varnish, coat, layer, film, overlay 5Silt or gravel carried by a stream or river and deposited as sediment. - 5.1 A sandbank exposed only at low tide.
- 5.2 (in the western US) a dry bed of a stream, typically in a ravine, that flows only seasonally.
Example sentencesExamples - Traversing this landscape are countless washes - waterways that are dry for most of the year but fill up briefly following torrential summer rains.
- When occasional heavy rains run off the mountain and fill the wash, the water flows around the boulders and collects in a pond Schumacher formed in a low area.
6Kitchen slops and other food waste fed to pigs. Synonyms pigswill, hogwash, pigwash, mash 7Malt fermenting in preparation for distillation. Example sentencesExamples - Here they found three stills, two still heads and two worms, with five barrels of wash ready for distillation, and a quantity of yeast.
8North American informal in singular A situation or result that is of no benefit to either of two opposing sides. the plan's impact on jobs would be a wash, creating as many as it costs Example sentencesExamples - However, I think we have a ways to go in terms of convincing actuaries that in fact e-mail is at worst a wash and probably a benefit.
- By lunch, I was feeling better, but a good chunk of the morning was a bit of a wash.
- He was out with a knee injury, and his rookie season looked like a wash.
- Together, the two films and DVD presentations cancel each other out, resulting in a wash for a recommendation.
- With the rest of the season a wash, the team will experiment with players who could make an impact next season.
- If the matchup problems he creates can offset the matchup liabilities he endures on defense, he could play many opposing centers to a wash or better.
- The additions of Edgardo Alfonzo, Ray Durham, Jose Cruz Jr. and Marquis Grissom likely will amount to a wash.
Phrases informal Be resolved eventually with no lasting harm. he's not happy but he assures me it'll all come out in the wash Example sentencesExamples - It's probably saved me a lot of money in therapy because I am aware that it all comes out in the wash.
- The realisation induced a moment or two of panic, and then I shrugged and figured it would all come out in the wash.
- If governments act as they should, and everything else as it should, the market will take care of itself and everything will come out in the wash.
- In normal circumstances, these sorts of differences just come out in the wash.
- So by the time we come to sell up, it will all most likely have come out in the wash.
- I was hoping to wait until we saw each other, or to see if he got in touch with me at all - childish I know, but hey ho, we are good friends anyway, so it will all come out in the wash.
- Don't worry about it, it'll come out in the wash.
- It'll all come out in the wash, as my Gran used to say.
- As for my own view, I think it all comes out in the wash; some people are doing nasty things, some people are doing good things, been there, done that.
- After all, one might point out, defendants are not being ‘overtaxed’ by the tort system as long as the average award they pay is reasonable; they will groan at the high awards, gloat over the low ones, and it will all come out in the wash.
(of clothes, bed linen, or similar) put aside for washing or in the process of being washed. Example sentencesExamples - I'm sure you could borrow something of Julianne's, and I could throw your stuff in the wash.
- I spilled water on my shirt, and all my clothes are in the wash.
- Eventually my guests made up their minds, and the order was carefully written down by a young waitress whose clothes seemed to have shrunk in the wash.
- I think doctors should wear a T-shirt, and as soon as it's dirty put it in the wash and put a new one on.
- I threw my clothes in the wash and then went for another shower.
- Remove excess clutter from countertops and shelves, put dirty towels in the wash, and organize along the way.
- Like an idiot, I threw my brand new wool sweater in the wash and then in the dryer, shrinking it down about three sizes, rendering it unwearable.
- You began to get a really bad fever and were sweating so she took your clothes and they are in the wash as we speak.
- At one point he even threw away all his underwear, thinking it might have shrunk in the wash and be constricting his leg.
- I kept forgetting to put my clothes in the wash, so this morning when I got up, I realized that I had no clean gym clothes.
wash one's dirty linen (or laundry) in public informal (of an individual or a member of an organization) discuss or argue about one's private affairs in public. Example sentencesExamples - In fact, they pride themselves on washing their dirty laundry in public.
- By doing this the team are washing their dirty laundry in public.
- Sadie hates the fact that she was washing her dirty laundry in public.
- There is a terrible pressure within the community to close ranks, not to be seen in public, washing one's dirty linen in public.
- I'm certainly clear that one of the reasons why women are prepared to go to the family courts but not to the criminal courts is the fear of washing their dirty laundry in public.
- I'm not going to write about this here, because it wouldn't be fair and I don't believe in washing my dirty laundry in public.
- I take your point about their relative ease in front of the camera, but then these are people who like, and are used to, living their lives and washing their dirty linen in public.
- How much longer can the board go on washing their dirty linen in public?
- Why should we wash our dirty linen in public as if we don't have structures to address our differences?
- There are people who do believe we should not wash our dirty linen in public, but we don't agree.
Go to the toilet (used euphemistically).
Disclaim responsibility for. the social services washed their hands of his daughter Example sentencesExamples - The Conservatives, on the other hand, believe sprawl is a provincial and municipal issue, and are washing their hands of it.
- But in recent interviews, he has tried to wash his hands of any responsibility for that mistake.
- As an executive who is responsible for financial affairs, he should not be washing his hands of the matter in such a way.
- By this time the American representatives of the governing body had washed their hands of all responsibility and even stopped attending board meetings.
- And she is angry that a town whose residents often complain about teenagers behaving badly are contemplating washing their hands of a scheme which is tackling the problem.
- Like some libertarian Pontius Pilate, he washed his hands of any responsibility, skillfully uncoupling the role of the executive from execution.
- We need to find the right balance between so-called ‘nannying’ and simply washing our hands of our people's health.
- It was a show they had virtually washed their hands of and abandoned, but one which they didn't actually realise was, in itself, a sensation.
- Structural injustice occurs when we let the system oppress the poor and the defenseless by washing our hands of the matter or simply walking away from the victims.
- They're washing their hands of the problem but also guaranteeing the landlords get their revenues, which are, of course, a form of tax revenue.
Synonyms disown, disclaim, renounce, reject, abjure, forswear, disavow, have nothing to do with, have done with, be finished with, be through with, give up on, turn one's back on, cast aside, end relations with, abandon
wash one's mouth out (with soap and water) often as imperativeStop swearing. Example sentencesExamples - You people should go wash your mouths out.
- When we were boys Mum told my brothers and I not to use rude words or she'd wash our mouths out with soap.
- Your mom may have once threatened to wash your mouth out with soap.
- Ian should wash his mouth out with soap!
- Have my mother wash my mouth out with soap on public access tv
- He should get up, withdraw and apologise, and wash his mouth out.
- The Minister should wash her mouth out.
- I had no idea that she could even utter that word without wanting to wash her mouth out.
- But when it comes to the economy, I'm not ready to wash my mouth out just yet.
- Both sides, whilst washing their mouths out with soap, may still ponder the title.
one hand washes the other Mutual favors are exchanged. You can be on the list if you also link to our page. One hand washes the other
Phrasal Verbs Accompany or follow food with a drink. bacon and eggs washed down with a cup of tea Example sentencesExamples - Hundreds of sausages and burgers were washed down with pints of guest ale and resident brews.
- All of this was washed down with generous piping hot glasses of mulled wine.
- We had a couple beers to wash the food down and then headed back into town.
- This was all washed down with coffee and orange juice.
- All of this was washed down with a couple of glasses of Cabernet Sauvignon and a glass of port.
- He took his drinks so seriously that he could give a lecture on why a certain kind of trout should be washed down with red wine and not white wine.
- He seemed both tired and restless by the time the meal was washed down with a cupful of water.
- I am told sticky toffee pudding is often served with custard, fresh cream, ice-cream or yogurt, but it's also fine as is, washed down with a cup of good tea.
- Every recreational hard drug conceivable is washed down with booze, both bought and stolen.
- Here, hearty staples can be washed down with a selection of moderately priced wines.
wash out (or wash someone out) Be excluded (or exclude someone) from a course or position after a failure to meet the required standards. a lot of them had washed out of pilot training Example sentencesExamples - People were trying to wash him out, and it's lit a fire under him.
- Paperwork was initiated to declare him unstable, a misfit, and wash him out of military service with a Section-8 discharge as ‘unsuitable for military service.’
- However, the commander told me that I had not soloed in ten hours and he was going to wash me out.
- After I was washed out of flight school, I was sent to a separate barracks with other men who had also failed their check-ride to await reassignment.
- I don't know if this really impaired his flying ability, but unfortunately Bernie didn't make it and I had to wash him out.
1Cause an event to be postponed or canceled because of rain. Example sentencesExamples - The two semi final matches were washed out by rain and according to the rules the finalists were decided on the net run rate.
- An hour or two later torrential rain began to fall and the show was washed out.
- Forget the problems at the league stage, if the final and all reserve days were washed out due to rain, the trophy would be shared.
- Farnworth were robbed of their big chance to gain ground on Egerton when their head-to-head was washed out on Saturday.
- Play started just an hour late after the previous two days had been washed out by heavy rain and a waterlogged outfield.
- England's only realistic hope of avoiding defeat lay with the weather and their prayers were answered as Sunday's first two sessions were washed out by rain.
- On June 30, 1934, Lou Gehrig of the Yankees would have tied a major league record with three triples in a game but the incomplete game was washed out by rain.
- Newburgh in Fife, for instance, saw their games cancelled not once, but twice, after the original event was washed out - and the day on which the event was rescheduled proved wet too.
- The farm was flooded, the farmers markets were washed out week after week, and Greg and Andy's cash flow went down the drain.
- The event was washed out by flash floods in the pre-dawn hours on the day of the race.
2(of a flood or downpour) make a breach in a road. Example sentencesExamples - A mile or so of the road had been washed out by a flood in 1995, and the agency had decided to keep it closed, saying that construction would hasten erosion and threaten the river's dwindling population of bull trout.
- She said the entire island, which is about 14 miles wide, by the way, is covered in about four feet of water, that the ferries aren't running and all their roads are washed out.
- It had been there hundreds of years but until Hawnby Bridge was washed out by the weekend's flash floods nobody appreciated it.
- Even after Addie has been dead over a week, and all of the bridges to Jefferson are washed out, he is still determined to get to Jefferson.
- Most roads and bridges servicing plantations were washed out.
- A woman in labour was air-lifted from Ruatahuna to Rotorua Hospital, while about 30 people are cut off from civilisation in Ruatoki after access roads were washed out.
- All the roads were washed out so our helicopters are the only way in.
- Trailers are toppled, roads are washed out and equipment is bent and broken.
1(of a feeling) affect (someone) suddenly. a deep feeling of sadness washed over her Example sentencesExamples - She felt a sudden burst of shyness wash over her and suddenly felt extremely embarrassed for wearing a towel.
- He felt a wave of sadness wash over him again, but he ignored it, like he did every day.
- I suddenly felt a peace wash over me, and I knew he'd heard and all was forgiven.
- When I heard their footsteps fade and their door close I felt a sudden wave of relief wash over me.
- Therese stepped into the stables, a sudden wave of suspicion washing over her.
- The guilt washed over me like storm clouds being pushed by the northern winds.
- Guilt washed over James, even though his father seemed undisturbed by his outburst.
- Tears came like a sudden wave of sadness, washing over me.
- A mixture of happiness and guilt washed over her, and she could only sigh.
- As the plane touched down, the fatigue and stress suddenly washed over me and I nearly burst into tears.
- I exhaled, a wave of sadness and regret washing over me.
- When he didn't call again, a wave of sadness washed over me, but it contained a bit of relief.
- I wailed, a sudden sensation of hopelessness washing over me.
- Suddenly Selena felt a wave of sadness washing over her.
- I felt a surge of sadness washing over me as I held him.
- My eyelids begin to droop, and a sudden wave of exhaustion washes over me.
- The pain from his wounds suddenly washed over him like a tidal wave, ten times worse than before.
- Audrey wasn't sure if the sudden spinning feeling that washed over her was one of relief of regret.
- Suddenly a wave of homesickness washed over me, almost more than I could bear.
- I bit my lower lip as if a moment of clarity had suddenly washed over me and I realized what I had just agreed to.
Synonyms affect, rush over, rush through, thrill through, race over, surge through, course through, flood over, flow over, sweep over, flutter through - 1.1Occur all around without greatly affecting (someone)
she allowed the babble of conversation to wash over her Example sentencesExamples - For the rest of the journey Mary allowed the conversation to wash over her and she finally felt normal.
- Other times, I'll just sit there, letting the conversation wash over me, convinced that I have nothing useful or interesting to add.
- So I decided to let the intense clamour of conversation wash over me and enjoy it.
Origin Old English wæscan (verb), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch wassen, German waschen, also to water. |