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Glite Dictionary
to hose down

to hose down

12 3.4
Spray water onto something with a long tube to clean or cool it
  • phrasal verb
  • /hoʊz daʊn/
translation icon : rociar con manguera
  • Later that day, the straw bosses out at the oil fields hosed down the dry October grasses to prevent another fire.
  • hosed down with water
  • hose down the car
  • hosed down the floor

So I'm in there being hosed down and the girl steps back.

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Examples

  • The firefighter used a long hose to hose down the burning building and prevent the fire from spreading.

  • The workers decided to hose down the driveway to remove all the dirt accumulated over time.

  • Once every three days, they hose him down.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • What do you say we get your fire brigade out here and hose down the cars?

    Fiction book (1993)

  • Various workers are hosing down the fish on ice.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • Fire engines hose down the blackened locomotive.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • A younger Russell was standing in the driveway, hosing down the T-bird.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • After the camping trip, we had to hose down the tents to get rid of the mud stains.

Synonyms

to wash
vsto hose down
941 1.0

To clean something with water, often using soap

uses only a water stream to clean surfaces rather than cleaning with detergent
to spray
vsto hose down
209 1.0

To send out small drops of liquid to cover something

is performed with water aimed to clean surfaces rather than just disperse liquid
to flush
vsto hose down
168 2.7

To clean something by running water through it

employs a targeted water spray to hit and remove dirt rather than only flow
to rinse
vsto hose down
83 1.0

To wash something with water to remove soap or dirt

uses a forceful water spray to clean rather than a simple water wash
to hose
vsto hose down
51 1.5

To spray water onto something with a long flexible tube

focuses on spraying water specifically to clean surfaces
to rinse off
vsto hose down
10 1.6

To wash something with water to remove soap or dirt

cleans by spraying water rather than serving only as a final rinse
to pressure-wash
vsto hose down
1 3.9

To clean a surface with a strong stream of water to remove dirt

uses a gentler water spray for cleaning rather than a forceful jet
to sponge down
vsto hose down
  • Informal
1 3.7

Clean a person or surface by rubbing with a wet cloth

uses a water spray to clean surfaces without manual rubbing

Antonyms

to dry
570 1.0

To become free of water or wetness

How Thorough

to douse
18 4.4
to hose down
12 3.4
to spray
209 1.0

Surface Forms

hose down infinitive
hosed down past
hosed down past participle
hosing down present participle
hoses down third person singular

Morphology

hose + down

The meaning 'to spray water onto someone or something with a hose' is directly and transparently derived from the verb 'hose' (to spray with a hose) combined with the particle 'down', which here signals directing the spray downward/over a surface or doing so thoroughly. This verb+particle composition follows a regular, predictable pattern so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Hose down comes from the simple picture of pointing a hose and letting water run down over something to wash or cool it. So, it means 'to spray with a hose to clean, cool, or put out a fire'.