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wash

wash

89 1.0
An act of cleaning something with water, often using soap
  • noun
  • /wɔʃ/
translation icon : lavado
  • Before dinner, she insisted that the vegetables needed a proper wash to remove any dirt.
  • a car wash
  • a wash basin
  • wash and rinse

It's very itchy, and I feel like at the first wash, it will bubble up.

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Examples

  • We gave you a complimentary car wash.

  • I'll have a wash first.

  • I have had a wash today.

  • give himself a wash before bed

  • No automatic car wash, hand wash only.

  • It needs a wash though.

  • Then you save your rinse water from one week to use for your wash water the next.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • Get a proper car wash or car shampoo to wash your car.

  • They have a lot of body wash and body lotion.

  • Ticks may live on or in clothing worn outdoors and can survive a hot wash cycle.

    Academic text (2014)

Synonyms

cleaning
vswash
335 1.0

The act of removing dirt and dust from a place or object

focuses on removing dirt using water and usually soap or detergent
washing
vswash
46 1.0

The act of cleaning something with water and soap

allows detergent commonly as well as soap when removing dirt
cleansing
vswash
4 3.9

Making something clean by removing dirt

is focused on using water and usually soap or detergent as method
lavation
vswash
  • Archaic
9.9

Washing with water and soap to make something clean

also includes detergent as a common alternative to soap

Antonyms

1 1.0

Not being clean because it has mud, dust or stains

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

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

scouring
1 4.1
wash
89 1.0
rinse
8 1.0

Surface Forms

wash singular
washes plural

Etymology

Wash as a noun comes from the same old verb wæscan and originally meant 'an act of washing', so a 'wash' is one time you clean something with water.