to wash up
11
1.0
- phrasal verb
- /wɑʃ ʌp/
:
lavarse
- Before we eat, I always wash up to make sure my hands are clean.
- Go wash up
- get washed up
- wash up for supper
Examples
-
My brother and I washed up, then went upstairs to do homework.
Fiction book (2000) -
I expect you'd like to wash up and take a nap before dinner.
Fiction book (1995) -
Go inside and wash up for dinner, please.
-
I need you to wash up, honey.
-
May I use your bathroom to wash up a bit?
Fiction book (1990) -
You still have to get washed up for dinner.
-
I just need to get washed up.
-
Go upstairs, wash up for dinner.
-
After I had washed up, fixed my hair, and changed, I went out to the kitchen.
Fiction book (1997) -
Look, I'm gonna go to the bathroom and wash up.
Synonyms
941
1.0
To clean something with water, often using soap
117
1.0
To clean your hands with soap and water to remove germs
86
2.0
To wash and make yourself look neat
43
3.4
Wash or tidy yourself to feel cleaner and look better
33
3.0
Remove dirt and germs from a person's body by washing
1
9.9
To wash someone or something gently with water
How Clean
Surface Forms
Morphology
wash + up
The political noun 'wash up' is a metaphorical extension of the literal components: 'up' signals completion and 'wash' suggests clearing away, so there is a partial compositional clue (clearing/finishing work). However, the specific meaning—an end-of-session period for hurried parliamentary deals—is specialized British political jargon and not directly predictable from the constituents by a B1 learner without prior exposure.
Etymology
The phrasal verb wash up also means to clean your hands and face; imagine quickly washing and getting cleaned up at the sink before eating, so it means 'to wash your hands and face'.