If you wash something, you clean it with water and usually with soap or detergent.
You can wash a part of your body.
If someone washes, they wash parts of their body, especially their hands and face. This is a formal or literary use. In conversation and in less formal writing, you usually say that someone has a wash.
In American English, if someone washes up, they wash parts of their body, especially their hands and face.
In British English, if someone washes up, they wash the pans, plates, cups, and cutlery which have been used in cooking and eating a meal.
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wash |
wash |
Noun | 1. | wash - a thin coat of water-base paint blackwash - a wash that colors a surface black calcimine - a water-base paint containing zinc oxide and glue and coloring; used as a wash for walls and ceilings color wash, colour wash - a wash of whitewash or other water-base paint tinted with a colored pigment water-base paint - paint in which water is used as the vehicle whitewash - wash consisting of lime and size in water; used for whitening walls and other surfaces |
2. | ![]() ablution - the ritual washing of a priest's hands or of sacred vessels dishwashing, washup - the act of washing dishes washing-up - the washing of dishes etc after a meal window-washing - the activity of washing windows rinse - washing lightly without soap work - activity directed toward making or doing something; "she checked several points needing further work" laundering - washing clothes and bed linens | |
3. | wash - the dry bed of an intermittent stream (as at the bottom of a canyon) western United States, West - the region of the United States lying to the west of the Mississippi River | |
4. | wash - the erosive process of washing away soil or gravel by water (as from a roadway); "from the house they watched the washout of their newly seeded lawn by the water" rain-wash - the washing away of soil or other loose material by rain soil erosion - the washing away of soil by the flow of water | |
5. | ![]() flow - any uninterrupted stream or discharge | |
6. | wash - a watercolor made by applying a series of monochrome washes one over the other | |
7. | ![]() garment - an article of clothing; "garments of the finest silk" household linen, white goods - drygoods for household use that are typically made of white cloth | |
8. | wash - any enterprise in which losses and gains cancel out; "at the end of the year the accounting department showed that it was a wash" business activity, commercial activity - activity undertaken as part of a commercial enterprise colloquialism - a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech | |
Verb | 1. | wash - clean with some chemical process wash off, wash away, wash out, wash - remove by the application of water or other liquid and soap or some other cleaning agent; "he washed the dirt from his coat"; "The nurse washed away the blood"; "Can you wash away the spots on the windows?"; "he managed to wash out the stains" elute - wash out with a solvent, as in chromatography swear out, process, serve - deliver a warrant or summons to someone; "He was processed by the sheriff" wash - separate dirt or gravel from (precious minerals) |
2. | wash - cleanse (one's body) with soap and water cleanse, clean - clean one's body or parts thereof, as by washing; "clean up before you see your grandparents"; "clean your fingernails before dinner" wash - to cleanse (itself or another animal) by licking; "The cat washes several times a day" sponge down - wash with a sponge shampoo - use shampoo on (hair) hush - wash by removing particles; "Wash ores" | |
3. | wash - cleanse with a cleaning agent, such as soap, and water; "Wash the towels, please!" water-wash - wash with water clean, make clean - make clean by removing dirt, filth, or unwanted substances from; "Clean the stove!"; "The dentist cleaned my teeth" wash out - wash free from unwanted substances, such as dirt; "Wash out your dirty shirt in the sink" powerwash, pressure-wash - wash before painting to remove old paint and mildew; "pressure-wash the house" suds - wash in suds cradle - wash in a cradle; "cradle gold" stonewash, stone-wash - wash with stones to achieve a worn appearance; "stonewash blue jeans" handwash, hand-wash - wash or launder by hand instead of with a machine; "This delicate sweater must be handwashed" machine wash, machine-wash - wash by machine; "Can these shirts be machine-washed?" acid-wash - wash with acid so as to achieve a bleached look; "acid-wash blue jeans" wash - be capable of being washed; "Does this material wash?" | |
4. | wash - move by or as if by water; "The swollen river washed away the footbridge" wash - form by erosion; "The river washed a ravine into the mountainside" | |
5. | wash - be capable of being washed; "Does this material wash?" be - have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun); "John is rich"; "This is not a good answer" | |
6. | wash - admit to testing or proof; "This silly excuse won't wash in traffic court" stand - be in effect; be or remain in force; "The law stands!" | |
7. | wash - separate dirt or gravel from (precious minerals) separate - divide into components or constituents; "Separate the wheat from the chaff" | |
8. | wash - apply a thin coating of paint, metal, etc., to whitewash - cover with whitewash; "whitewash walls" cover - provide with a covering or cause to be covered; "cover her face with a handkerchief"; "cover the child with a blanket"; "cover the grave with flowers" | |
9. | ![]() remove, take away, withdraw, take - remove something concrete, as by lifting, pushing, or taking off, or remove something abstract; "remove a threat"; "remove a wrapper"; "Remove the dirty dishes from the table"; "take the gun from your pocket"; "This machine withdraws heat from the environment" wash out - wash free from unwanted substances, such as dirt; "Wash out your dirty shirt in the sink" | |
10. | wash - form by erosion; "The river washed a ravine into the mountainside" wash - move by or as if by water; "The swollen river washed away the footbridge" | |
11. | ![]() wet - cause to become wet; "Wet your face" humidify, moisturise, moisturize - make (more) humid; "We have a machine that humidifies the air in the house" baste - cover with liquid before cooking; "baste a roast" | |
12. | wash - wash or flow against; "the waves laved the shore" flow - cover or swamp with water | |
13. | wash - to cleanse (itself or another animal) by licking; "The cat washes several times a day" |