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Glite Dictionary
washing machine

washing machine

44 1.0
A home device that cleans clothes using water and soap
  • noun
  • /ˈwɔʃɪŋ məˈʃin/
translation icon : lavadora
  • After sorting the clothes, I loaded them into the washing machine to start the cycle.
  • buy a washing machine
  • a new washing machine
  • water from washing machines

And then in between them there was washing machines with quarter slots.

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Examples

  • I even learned how to use the washing machine

    Boyhood (2014)

  • Didn't I tell you I'd get you a new washing machine?

    Dingo (1991)

  • You know where the washing machine is.

    Evil Dead Rise (2023)

  • I think I left a bunch of it in the washing machine.

    Cookie's Fortune (1999)

  • I thought as long as we knew how to work the washing machine...

    Fiction book (1995)

  • Let's go put these in the washing machine and get them all done and take a look at them.

  • I'm going to put all of this stuff into the washing machine downstairs, wash that and then clean the rest of this space up.

  • Make sure you put the rags in the washing machine.

    Whispers in the Dark (1992)

  • In fact, I could see his house and its old boxy white washing machine on the porch.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • The sheets on the big, broad bed are tangled up like laundry inside a washing machine.

    Fiction book (1998)

Synonyms

washer
vswashing machine
49 1.0

A machine that washes clothes and sheets automatically

is used specifically in homes rather than in any setting
automatic washer
vswashing machine
  • US
2.6

A machine that washes clothes and sheets by itself

focuses on using water and detergent rather than highlighting operation

How Automatic

washing machine
44 1.0
washboard
  • Archaic
1 4.4

Surface Forms

washing machine singular
washing machines plural

Morphology

washing + machine

The meaning 'a machine used for washing clothes' is directly and compositionally derived from 'washing' (the process of cleaning with water) + 'machine' (a powered device), so a learner who knows both words can readily infer the MWE meaning. The noun+noun compound pattern is common in English and across languages, making this expression immediately comprehensible to an average B1 learner.

Etymology

Washing machine is a simple compound made from washing (what it does) and machine (a device). Picture clothes tumbling in water and soap inside a metal drum — that image explains why the name means 'a machine for washing clothes' today.