wash

Universal Words verb, noun verb 1 to make sth/sb clean using water and usually soap: [VN] These jeans need washing. * to wash the car / floor / dishes * to wash your hands / face / hair * Wash the fruit thoroughly before eating. * She washed the blood from his face. * [VN-ADJ] The beach had been washed clean by the tide. 2 ~ (yourself) (especially BrE) to make yourself clean using water and usually soap: [V] I washed and changed before going out. * [VN] She was no longer able to wash herself. 3 [V] (of clothes, fabrics, etc.) to be able to be washed without losing colour or being damaged: This sweater washes well. 4 [usually +adv./prep.] (of water) to flow or carry sth/sb in a particular direction: [V] Water washed over the deck. * [VN] Pieces of the wreckage were washed ashore. * He was washed overboard by a huge wave. IDIOMS wash your dirty linen in public (BrE, disapproving) to discuss your personal affairs in public, especially sth embarrassing wash your hands of sb/sth to refuse to be responsible for or involved with sb/sth: When her son was arrested again she washed her hands of him. * I've washed my hands of the whole sordid business. sth won't / doesn't wash (with sb) used to say that sb's explanation, excuse, etc. is not valid or that you/sb else will not accept it: That excuse simply won't wash with me. PHRASALVERBS wash sb/sth<->away (of water) to remove or carry sb/sth away to another place: Part of the path had been washed away by the sea. * The rain had washed away the footprints. wash sth<->down (with sth) 1 to clean sth large or a surface with a lot of water: Wash down the walls before painting them. 2 to drink sth after, or at the same time as, eating sth: For lunch we had bread and cheese, washed down with beer. wash off to be removed from the surface of sth or from a fabric by washing: Those grease stains won't wash off. wash sth<->off (sth) to remove sth from the surface of sth or from a fabric by washing: Wash that mud off your boots before you come in. wash out (of a dirty mark) to be removed from a fabric by washing: These ink stains won't wash out. wash sth<->out 1 to wash the inside of sth to remove dirt, etc: to wash out empty bottles 2 to remove a substance from sth by washing: Wash the dye out with shampoo. 3 (of rain) to make a game, an event, etc. end early or prevent it from starting: The game was completely washed out. relatednounWASHOUT wash over sb 1 (also wash through sb) (written) (of a feeling) to suddenly affect sb strongly, so that they are not aware of anything else: Waves of nausea washed over him. 2 to happen to or around sb without affecting them: She manages to let criticism just wash over her. wash up 1 (BrE) (also do the dishes AmE, BrE) to wash plates, glasses, etc. after a meal seealsoWASHING-UP 2 (AmE) to wash your face and hands: Go and get washed up. wash sth<->up 1 (BrE) to wash dishes after a meal: I didn't wash up the pans. 2 (of water) to carry sth onto the shore: The body was found washed up on a beach. * Cargo from the wrecked ship was washed up on the shore. noun 1 [C,usually sing.] (especially BrE) an act of cleaning sb/sth using water and usually soap: These towels are ready for a wash. * I'll just have a quick wash before dinner. * The curtains could do with a good (= thorough) wash. * I'm doing a dark wash (= washing all the dark clothes together). * Your shirt's in the wash (= being washed or waiting to be washed). * My sweater shrank in the wash. * That blouse shouldn't look like that after only two washes. seealsoCARWASH 2 (the wash) [sing.] an area of water that has waves and is moving a lot, especially after a boat has moved through it; the sound made by this: The dinghy was rocked by the wash of a passing ferry. * They listened to the wash of waves on the beach. * Seagulls hovered above the wash of the trawler. 3 [C] a thin layer of a liquid, especially paint, that is put on a surface: The walls were covered with a pale yellow wash. seealsoWHITEWASH 4 [C,U] a liquid containing soap, used for cleaning your skin: an antiseptic skin wash seealsoMOUTHWASH IDIOMS it will (all) come out in the wash (spoken) 1 used to say that the truth about a situation will be made known at some time in the future 2 used to make sb less anxious by telling them that any problems or difficulties will be solved in the future