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to wash

to wash

941 1.0
To clean something with water, often using soap
  • verb
  • /wɔʃ/
translation icon : lavar
  • My secret is when you wash your face, use a washcloth.
  • wash hands
  • wash dishes
  • wash clothes

Seriously, you don't need to wash wools or socks too often.

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Examples

  • Better wash before you go see her.

  • So first I need to wash the quinoa.

  • I just I just had somebody wash my car yesterday.

  • Usually you have to wash in a specific way.

  • Go wash your hands, go.

  • I'm going to just wash my face real quick.

  • We can at least wash her wounds.

  • "I turned on the faucet to wash my hands, but I could still hear him."

    Fiction book (1990)
  • Why don't you go wash up quick at the bathhouse?

  • Make sure to wash your hands thoroughly after using the restroom.

Synonyms

to clean
vsto wash
1.0

To remove dirt and stains

requires water and usually soap to remove dirt
to shower
vsto wash
140 1.0

To wash your body under a spray of water

is cleaning with water for objects or self not just this method
to rinse
vsto wash
83 1.0

To wash something with water to remove soap or dirt

is a broader cleaning action not limited to removing soap
to bathe
vsto wash
41 1.0

To wash your whole body in water to get clean

covers any cleaning with water not only full body immersion
to cleanse
vsto wash
33 3.0

Remove dirt and germs from a person's body by washing

is general cleaning with water for objects or people
to launder
vsto wash
10 3.0

To wash clothes and sheets with water and soap

covers cleaning of many things and not only clothes
to lave
vsto wash
  • Archaic
1 9.9

To wash someone or something gently with water

is general cleaning with water not especially gentle or flowing
to pressure-wash
vsto wash
1 3.9

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

uses normal water and gentler methods rather than high pressure
to water-wash
vsto wash
2.7

To clean something using water to remove dirt or chemicals

uses soap or detergent as well as water

Idioms

8 6.7

Stop being involved and refuse to take responsibility for someone or something

5 7.4

To tell someone off for saying rude words, sometimes by putting soap in their mouth

3 6.3

Refuse to take the blame for a problem

2 7.0

A secret or problem becomes known later

To try to get rid of bad pictures or thoughts in your mind after something upsetting

To punish someone by putting soap in their mouth for swearing

To talk about private, embarrassing things in front of other people

Phrasal Verbs

117 1.0

To clean your hands with soap and water to remove germs

To clean plates, bowls, and cups after a meal

41 1.1

To wash the dishes after a meal

35 3.6

To be carried by water onto the shore

33 2.1

Water or another liquid carries something away

31 1.0

To remove something from a surface by washing with water or soap

15 4.4

To swallow food with a drink or ease a bad feeling by drinking

11 1.0

To wash your hands and face to get clean

9 2.0

Clean something using water to remove dirt or stains

8 4.3

Carry away soil or roads by strong flowing water

7 4.3

To make people forget and stop caring about something

to wash up
  • Informal
7 7.5

To become completely tired and unable to continue

5 2.8

Wash something with your hands instead of in a machine

4 3.3

To move along with a strong flow of water

To get rid of feelings like guilt or blame

2 4.6

Treat jeans with chemicals to make them look faded

2 4.0

Make a color on clothes become lighter when you clean them

To clean the outside of a car with water and soap

Clean clothes in a washing machine instead of by hand

to stone-wash
  • Specialized
1 4.6

To wash clothes with stones to make them look faded and soft

1 4.4

Cancel an outdoor event because of heavy rain

to wash out
  • Informal
1 4.8

Make someone feel very weak and tired

Wash clothes in a washing machine rather than by hand

To clean something using water to remove dirt or chemicals

Compounds

wash up
  • Jargon
1 9.3

A short time at the end of Parliament when bills are rushed through

1 8.2

A dry stream bed that fills with water quickly after heavy rain in a desert

1 1.0

A day for doing the family's laundry

color wash
  • Specialized
5.4

A thin see-through layer of water-based paint that gives a surface a soft blended color

color wash
  • Specialized
5.5

A uniform tint added across an image to change its mood

5.3

Large flat laundry items like sheets and towels that are ironed by machine

A place that cleans a car both inside and outside

prop wash
  • Specialized
8.4

A propeller or rotor pushes air backward that can shake things nearby

rain-wash
  • Specialized
7.7

The washing away of soil from the ground by rain

wash drawing
  • Specialized
7.5

A picture that uses thin watercolor layers to make soft shades and depth

Soft absorbent cloth used to clean and shine cars and other surfaces

wash room
  • Canadian
1.0

A public room with toilets and sinks for cleaning hands

Cloth that does not need ironing after it is washed

A fabric you can wash and wear without ironing

A bowl fixed to a wall or on a stand where people clean their hands and face

wash-hand stand
  • Archaic
9.9

A small table that holds a basin and pitcher for washing hands before indoor plumbing

wish-wash
  • Archaic
9.5

Unclear or silly talk without any real meaning

wish-wash
  • Archaic
9.9

A weak, watery drink with little taste

How Clean

to scour
15 4.8
to scrub
55 1.0
to wash
941 1.0
rinse
8 1.0

Surface Forms

wash infinitive
washed past
washed past participle
washing present participle
washes third person singular

Etymology

Wash comes from the old English verb wæscan, which meant 'to wash' or 'to bathe'. So to wash something is to clean it with water.