to wash away
7
4.3
- phrasal verb
- /wɔʃ əˈweɪ/
:
borrar
- After the argument, she wanted to wash away the negativity and focus on the positive.
Him being willing to commit to you in official relationship or him even marrying you does not wash away all the wrongs in the relationship.
- Him being willing to commit to you in official relationship or him even marrying you does not wash away all the wrongs in the relationship.
Examples
-
But let's be real, claiming to be men of faith shouldn't magically wash away the earthly implications of their words and actions.
Blog text (13) -
But it was hopeless because the memories couldn't be washed away.
Fiction book (1991) -
The coming wave will wash away the pain.
Fiction book (1993) -
There's a new day to wash away the pain.
-
They were trying to wash away the sin.
-
Apartheid cannot simply be washed away.
Academic text (1995) -
Him being willing to commit to you in official relationship or him even marrying you does not wash away all the wrongs in the relationship.
-
Perhaps she wished to wash away the sound of laughter that no doubt still rang in her ears.
Fiction book (1992) -
An apology will not instantly wash away the residue of hatred and resentment toward Japan that has accumulated over the decades.
Academic text (1998) -
Many people wish they could just wash away their past mistakes and start fresh.
Synonyms
∞
1.6
To remove or throw away something you do not want
502
3.4
Remove or kill something completely so it is gone
332
3.0
To refuse to accept an idea or claim
189
4.2
Destroy something so nothing is left
88
3.7
Remove something so it is no longer used
56
4.1
Deal with and finish a problem or task so it no longer causes trouble
29
4.6
To make a feeling or idea go away
27
3.9
Treat something as unimportant and ignore it
27
4.0
Remove an outside layer or covering from something to show what is under it
24
6.3
To stop using something because you do not need it
21
8.8
To remove all signs of something like a record or memory so it cannot be found
21
5.5
End something completely, for example a custom or a debt
16
3.8
To get rid of something completely so it no longer exists
13
4.5
Ignore a person or thing because you think they are not important
11
3.7
Reject or ignore people and things you no longer want
4
4.1
To throw away things you no longer want
4
5.3
Treat a question or problem as not important
3
4.7
To ignore an opinion or worry as unimportant
2
5.9
Treat something as unimportant and ignore it
2
5.9
Make an idea or topic seem less important
1
6.0
To reject or get rid of something no longer needed
1
6.1
To treat something as not important and ignore it
Antonyms
How Dismissive
23
4.8
839
1.9
7
4.3
332
3.0
∞
1.0
243
2.9
Surface Forms
Morphology
The verbs 'wash' (to flow over/remove) combined with 'away' (to be removed) directly yields the sense of something being removed or eliminated; this compositional relation makes the core meaning transparent. The abstract sense 'to disregard' is a natural metaphorical extension of physical removal and is cross-linguistically common, so an average B1 learner who knows the constituents would likely infer the intended meaning.
Etymology
Wash away uses the picture of water washing a stain or dirt away so nothing is left, and by that image people speak of washing worries or bad memories away. That's why it means 'to get rid of' or 'make disappear'.