prop wash
1
8.4
- noun
- /prɒp wɒʃ/
- Specialized
- The Jeep pulls to a halt beside a massive hangar, just as a CH-46 helicopter roars into view over the top, quickly settling to the tarmac, with Travis and Grant turning to avoid the prop wash.
Examples
-
The Chinese mechanic stood clear, his khakis flapping in the prop wash, and the Major, after a short taxi run down the field, wrenched the plane off the ground into a steep, shuddering bank.
Fiction book (1992) -
As the aircraft took off, the prop wash lifted debris off the ground behind it.
-
Be aware of all prop wash.
-
Because skimmers are pushed, rather than pulled, prop wash is not a factor.
Academic text (1995) -
By contrast, the opening of the skimmer net is always in front of the vessel's prop wash.
Academic text (1995) -
Daylight showed the AirEvac helicopter landing on the lawn, the long grass rippling like water in the prop wash.
Fiction book (2001) -
As he approached, his head bowed against the prop wash from the spinning rotor blades, a door in the copter's flank slid open and he climbed inside.
Fiction book (1999) -
The helicopter's prop wash created a strong gust of wind that disturbed the nearby plants.
-
When flying near a stationary object, pilots must be cautious of the prop wash created by the rotor blades.
Synonyms
12
8.0
Air moving behind a fast vehicle like a plane or car that helps others go faster
3
6.1
A backward flow of water behind a moving boat that rocks small boats
2
8.4
The flow of air pushed backward by a propeller or wing
1
6.3
Air pushed backward by an aircraft propeller or jet engine
Antonyms
How Strong
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is compositionally derived from 'prop' (propeller blade assembly) + 'wash' (turbulent airflow), so 'prop wash' straightforwardly denotes the disturbed airflow produced by a propeller. This follows a common, cross-linguistic compound pattern (similar to 'jet wash' or 'wake') and would be understandable to a B1 learner who knows both constituent senses.
Etymology
Prop wash comes from the simple image of a spinning propeller pushing air backward: the rotating prop blades create a strong moving wash of air that can blow or shake things nearby. So, prop wash means the strong, disturbed air behind a propeller.