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Glite Dictionary
🧼 To clean thoroughly 🌊 To erode away 🎨 To fade color ☔ To cancel by rain 😩 To exhaust
to wash out

to wash out

2 4.0
Make a color on clothes become lighter when you clean them
  • phrasal verb
  • /wɔʃ aʊt/
translation icon : desteñir
  • I emptied the dishwasher and I washed out the casserole pan from last night," said MQD.
  • wash out the color
  • wash out easily
  • wash out in the light

So I then washed it out and it was bright orange.

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Examples

  • In familiar shades of gray or washed-out hues of primaries.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • I've washed out the bleach and my makeup is pretty much gone now right here at my hairline.

  • So I then washed it out and it was bright orange.

    sophdoeslife

  • I washed out the tank again and set everything aside.

    Blog text (12)

  • But it's permanent press, and it doesn't wash out.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • This works particularly well with yellows and pinks that wash out easily.

    Academic text (1995)

  • It's like the most beautiful pasteli pink, but it doesn't wash out my lips, which is amazing.

  • After several washes, the bright blue shirt began to wash out and look faded.

  • The red paint started to wash out during the heavy rain, leaving the wall dull.

  • If you keep washing those jeans, the color will eventually wash out and they will look worn.

Synonyms

to discolor
vsto wash out
  • US
11 4.1

To become faded or stained

is about dye fading from cleaning rather than general color change or staining
to acid-wash
vsto wash out
2 4.6

Treat jeans with chemicals to make them look faded

happens when routine cleaning removes dye causing color to fade
to bleach out
vsto wash out
1 3.8

Make clothes and similar things much lighter in color, usually by sunlight or chemicals

is the general result of cleaning that fades dye gradually
to desaturate
vsto wash out
  • Specialized
1 7.1

To make the colors in a picture less bright so it looks more gray

describes fading caused by cleaning of dyed materials rather than image edits
to stone-wash
vsto wash out
  • Specialized
1 4.6

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

occurs from normal cleaning that causes dye to fade or lose intensity
to discolorize
vsto wash out
  • US
8.9

To make something lose its color or become lighter

happens specifically during cleaning so dyes lose intensity
to decolorize
vsto wash out
  • US
7.0

To take the color out of something like fabric or a photograph

causes a fading through cleaning rather than total removal
to decolourize
vsto wash out
  • UK
7.7

To make something lose its color

works through routine cleaning to make dye appear less intense
to decolor
vsto wash out
  • US
7.9

To make something lose its color or become lighter

is specifically caused by cleaning that fades dye rather than deliberate removal

Antonyms

to brighten
27 2.7

To make a place or thing look more cheerful by adding color

to intensify
  • Specialized
2 6.8

Make dark parts of a film or photo darker to increase contrast

How Faded

to bleach
50 3.2
to wash out
2 4.0
to fade
531 1.2
to lighten
16 2.3

Surface Forms

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

Morphology

wash + out

There is a loose, metaphorical link between 'wash' (to remove/clean) + 'out' (completely/away) suggesting depletion or removal, so a learner might sense some loss meaning. However, the specific sense 'to make someone very weak or tired' is metaphorical, the verb has multiple senses (cancelled, fail, exhaust), and the exact exhaustion meaning is not fully predictable for a B1 learner without prior exposure.

Etymology

Wash out comes from the picture of water pulling color out of cloth so the dye or print becomes pale. That's why it means 'to fade or lose color by washing'.