To clean something using water
شستن
she washed her hands.
دستان خود را شست.
Oxford Essential Dictionary
verb (washes, washing, washed )
1 to clean somebody, something or yourself with water:
Have you washed the car?
Wash your hands before you eat.
I washed and dressed quickly.
2 (used about water) to flow somewhere:
The waves washed over my feet.
wash somebody or something away (used about water) to move or carry somebody or something to another place:
The house was washed away by the river.
wash up
1 (British) to clean the plates, knives, forks, and pans after a meal:
I washed up after dinner.
2 (American) to wash your face and hands
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
wash
I. wash1 S1 W3 /wɒʃ $ wɒːʃ, wɑːʃ/ BrE AmE verb
[Word Family: noun: ↑wash, ↑washer, ↑washing; adjective: ↑washable, ↑unwashed; verb: ↑wash]
[Language: Old English; Origin: wascan]
1. WASH SOMETHING [transitive] to clean something using water and a type of soap:
This shirt needs washing.
It’s your turn to wash the dishes.
2. WASH YOURSELF [intransitive and transitive] to clean your body with soap and water:
Amy washed and went to bed.
She had a hot bath and washed her hair.
I’m just going to wash my hands.
wash yourself
When a cat has finished eating, it often washes itself.
REGISTER
In everyday English, people usually say that someone has a wash (BrE) or washes up (AmE) rather than washes.
3. FLOW [intransitive, transitive always + adverb/preposition] if a river, sea etc washes somewhere, or if something carried by the river or sea is washed somewhere, it flows or moves there:
The waves washed against the shore.
The sea washed over her.
The young man was washed overboard (=pushed from a boat into the sea by the force of the water) in the storm.
The body was washed ashore (=brought to the shore by waves).
4. something doesn’t/won’t wash (with somebody) spoken used to say that you do not believe or accept someone’s explanation, reason, attitude etc:
I’m sorry but all his charm just doesn’t wash with me.
5. wash your hands of something to refuse to be responsible for something any more:
I’ve washed my hands of the whole affair.
6. wash your mouth out! spoken old-fashioned used to tell someone who has just sworn or said something rude that they should not have spoken that way
7. wash well to be easy to clean using soap and water:
Silk doesn’t wash well.
⇨ wash/air your dirty linen/laundry (in public) at ↑dirty1(7)
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ wash to clean something with soap and water: Our car needs washing. | Make sure that you wash your hands.
▪ do the washing British English, do the laundry American English to wash clothes that need to be washed: Did you do the laundry this morning? | I do the washing on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
▪ do the washing up British English (also wash up British English), do the dishes American English to wash all the cups, plates, knives etc that you have used during a meal: If you do the cooking tonight, I’ll do the washing up. | Who’s going to do the dishes?
▪ cleanse formal to make something completely clean, especially using a special substance: Carefully cleanse the cut to get rid of any grit or dirt.
▪ rinse to wash something with water in order to remove soap or dirt: I’ll just rinse the lettuce under the tap.
▪ scrub to make something very clean, using a stiff brush and water, or soap and water: Lou was on her knees, scrubbing the kitchen floor.
▪ mop to wash a floor with a wet ↑mop (=special stick with thick threads on the end): A cleaner mopped the floor between the beds.
wash something ↔ away phrasal verb
1. if water washes something away, it carries it away with great force:
Floods in Bangladesh have washed hundreds of homes away.
2. to get rid of unhappy feelings, thoughts, or memories:
My anxiety was washed away.
wash something ↔ down phrasal verb
1. to clean something large using a lot of water:
Can you wash down the driveway?
2. to drink something with or after food or with medicine to help you swallow it
wash something ↔ down with
steak and chips washed down with red wine
wash off phrasal verb
1. wash something ↔ off to clean dirt, dust etc from the surface of something with water
2. if a substance washes off, you can remove it from the surface of something by washing:
Will this paint wash off?
wash out phrasal verb
1. wash something ↔ out to wash the inside of something quickly:
I’ll just wash out this vase for flowers.
2. if a substance washes out, you can remove it from a material by washing it:
a dye that won’t wash out
3. be washed out if an event is washed out, it cannot continue because of rain:
The summer fair was washed out by the English weather.
⇨ ↑washed-out, ↑washout
wash over somebody phrasal verb
1. if a feeling washes over you, you suddenly feel it very strongly:
A feeling of relief washed over her.
2. if you let something wash over you, you do not pay close attention to it:
She was content to let the conversation wash over her.
wash up phrasal verb
1. British English to wash plates, dishes, knives etc ⇨ ↑washing-up
2. American English to wash your hands:
Go wash up before dinner.
3. wash something ↔ up if waves wash something up, they carry it to the shore
wash something ↔ up on
His body was washed up on the beach the next morning. ⇨ ↑washed-up
Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
wash
wash [wash washes washed washing] verb, noun [wɒʃ] [wɑːʃ] [wɔːʃ]
verb
1. transitive to make sth/sb clean using water and usually soap
• ~ sth/sb These jeans need washing.
• to wash the car
• to wash your hands
• Wash the fruit thoroughly before eating.
• ~ sth from sth She washed the blood from his face.
• ~ sth/sb + adj. The beach had been washed clean by the tide.
2. intransitive, transitive (especially BrE) to make yourself clean using water and usually soap
• I washed and changed before going out.
• ~ yourself She was no longer able to wash herself.
3. intransitive (+ adv./prep.) (of clothes, cloth, etc.) to be able to be washed without losing colour or being damaged
• This sweater washes well.
4. intransitive, transitive (of water) to flow or carry sth/sb in a particular direction
• + adv./prep. Water washed over the deck.
• ~ sth/sb + adv./prep. Pieces of the wreckage were washed ashore.
• He was washed overboard by a huge wave.
Word Origin:
Old English wæscan (verb), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch wassen, German waschen, also to water.
Synonyms:
clean
wash • rinse • cleanse • dry-clean
These words all mean to remove dirt from sth, especially by using water and/or soap.
clean • to remove dirt or dust from sth, especially by using water or chemicals: ▪ The villa is cleaned twice a week. ◊ ▪ Have you cleaned your teeth? ◊ ▪ This coat is filthy. I'll have it cleaned ▪ (= dry-cleaned).
wash • to remove dirt from sth using water and usually soap: ▪ He quickly washed his hands and face. ◊ ▪ These jeans need washing.
rinse • to remove dirt, etc. from sth using clean water only, not soap; to remove the soap from sth with clean water after washing it: ▪ Make sure you rinse all the soap out.
cleanse • to clean your skin or a wound.
dry-clean • to clean clothes using chemicals instead of water.
to clean/wash/rinse/cleanse sth in/with sth
to clean/wash/rinse sth from sth
to clean/wash/cleanse a wound
to clean/wash the car/floor
to wash/rinse your hair
to have sth cleaned/washed/dry-cleaned
Example Bank:
• Hands need to be washed regularly with hot water.
• She gently washed and dressed the wound.
• the smell of freshly washed hair
• He always washes the car on Sundays.
• He quickly washed his hands and face.
• He washed his face.
• If you wash the dishes, I'll dry.
• She washed out the empty bottles.
Idioms: it will come out in the wash ▪ something won't wash ▪ wash your dirty linen in public ▪ wash your hands of somebody
Derived: wash off ▪ wash out ▪ wash over somebody ▪ wash somebody away ▪ wash something down ▪ wash something off ▪ wash something out ▪ wash something up ▪ wash up
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition
wash / wɒʃ / / wɑːʃ / verb (CLEAN)
A1 [ T ] to clean something using water:
wash your hair/hands
wash the car/clothes/floor
These sheets need washing.
I'll wash the bottle out (= clean its inside) and use it again.
A1 [ I ] ( US also wash up ) to clean yourself, or a part of yourself, with water and usually soap:
I'd like to wash before dinner.
wash well
If a particular material or piece of clothing washes well, it is not damaged or spoiled by repeated washing.
wash / wɒʃ / / wɑːʃ / verb (FLOW)
[ I usually + adv/prep ] literary If water washes somewhere, it flows there, usually repeatedly:
She stood on the shore and let the water wash over her tired feet.
wash sb/sth up/ashore/overboard (of the sea) to carry something or someone to or away from a place:
Overnight the sea had washed up a lot of rubbish.
More than 400 dead dolphins had been washed ashore.
A Spanish crew member had been washed overboard (= carried off a ship into the sea by the force of the water) in the storm.
© Cambridge University Press 2013
Collins Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary
wash
/wɒʃ/
(washes, washing, washed)
Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English.
1.
If you wash something, you clean it using water and usually a substance such as soap or detergent.
He got a job washing dishes in a pizza parlour...
It took a long time to wash the mud out of his hair...
Rub down the door and wash off the dust before applying the varnish.
VERB: V n, V n prep, V n with adv
•
Wash is also a noun.
That coat could do with a wash...
The treatment leaves hair glossy and lasts 10 to 16 washes.
N-COUNT
2.
If you wash or if you wash part of your body, especially your hands and face, you clean part of your body using soap and water.
They looked as if they hadn’t washed in days...
She washed her face with cold water...
You are going to have your dinner, get washed, and go to bed.
VERB: V, V n, get V-ed
•
Wash is also a noun.
She had a wash and changed her clothes.
N-COUNT: usu a N in sing
3.
If a sea or river washes somewhere, it flows there gently. You can also say that something carried by a sea or river washes or is washed somewhere.
The sea washed against the shore...
The force of the water washed him back into the cave.
VERB: V prep/adv, V n with adv, also V n prep
4.
The wash of a boat is the wave that it causes on either side as it moves through the water.
...the wash from large ships.
N-SING: the N
5.
If a feeling washes over you, you suddenly feel it very strongly and cannot control it. (WRITTEN)
A wave of self-consciousness can wash over her when someone new enters the room...
VERB: V over/through n
6.
If you say that an excuse or idea will not wash, you mean that people will not accept or believe it. (INFORMAL)
He said her policies didn’t work and the excuses didn’t wash...
If they believe that solution would wash with the Haitian people, they are making a dramatic error.
VERB: usu with brd-neg, V, V with n
7.
see also washing
8.
If you say that something such as an item of clothing is in the wash, you mean that it is being washed, is waiting to be washed, or has just been washed and should therefore not be worn or used. (INFORMAL)
Your jeans are in the wash.
PHRASE: V inflects
9.
to wash your dirty linen in public: see dirty
to wash your hands of something: see hand
Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary
1wash /ˈwɑːʃ/ verb wash·es; washed; wash·ing
1 : to clean (something) with water and usually soap
[+ obj]
• wash clothes
• wash the windows
• wash your hair
• We have to wash the dishes.
• Did you wash your hands?
• Wash [=rinse] the vegetables in the sink.
[no obj]
• Tell the kids to please wash [=to wash their hands, faces, etc.] before eating.
• That shirt washes well. [=that shirt can be washed easily and without being damaged]
2 a [+ obj] : to carry (something) by the movement of water
• The flooding washed sand and silt all over the area.
• A sailor was washed overboard [=knocked off the ship and into the water] during the storm.
• A lot of debris was washed ashore [=brought onto the shore by waves] during the storm.
• The house is in danger of being washed out to sea. [=being carried out to sea by the movement of the water]
b [no obj] : to be carried by the movement of water
• The pollution washes into rivers from nearby factories.
3 [no obj] : to move by flowing
• Water washed over the deck of the ship.
• Waves washed up onto the beach.
4 [no obj] informal : to be believable or acceptable - usually used in negative statements
• That story won't wash. [=that story is not believable]
• These claims won't wash. [=these are not believable claims]
• Blaming her poor grades on the teacher just doesn't wash. [=is not acceptable]
wash away [phrasal verb] wash (something) away or wash away (something)
1 : to carry (something) away by the movement of water
• The waves at high tide washed our beach towels away.
• The footprints in the sand were washed away.
• The bridge was washed away by flooding last year.
• Heavy rain washed away the grass seed.
2 : to get rid of (something, such as unhappy or unpleasant thoughts) completely
• Take a vacation to wash away your troubles.
wash down [phrasal verb] wash (something) down or wash down (something)
1 : to clean (something) with water
• We'll have to wash down the walls before we paint them.
2 : to drink something after eating (food)
• The kids washed down their cookies with milk.
wash off [phrasal verb]
1 wash (something) off or wash off (something) : to clean (something) by using water
• Wash the mud off the bikes before you put them away.
2 : to be able to be removed or cleaned by washing
• This makeup washes off easily.
• Does that ink wash off?
wash out [phrasal verb]
1 : to be able to be removed or cleaned by washing
• The wine stain won't wash out.
2 wash (something) out or wash out (something)
a : to clean the inside of (something, such as a cup or pot) with water
• Just wash out the coffee cups before you go.
b : to damage or carry away (something) by the force of moving water
• The flooding river washed out the bridge.
• The flood washed out the road.
c : to cause (something, such as a sports event) to be stopped or canceled because of rain
• Rain washed out Friday's game.
• This weekend's game was washed out.
3 US informal : to fail to successfully complete a course of training because you do not have the necessary qualities, skills, or abilities
• This program is so tough, at least 30 percent of the students will wash out before the end of the first year.
- see also washout
wash over [phrasal verb] wash over (someone or something)
1 : to affect or be felt by (someone) thoroughly and deeply
• A deep sadness suddenly washed over me.
• I felt relief washing over me.
• Just close your eyes and let the music wash over you.
2 : to appear on (a person's face) suddenly
• A look of surprise washed over his face.
wash up [phrasal verb]
1 : to be carried by the movement of water to the shore
• Trash washed up on the beach after the storm.
2 US : to wash your hands, face, etc.
• It will just take me a minute to wash up and then we can go.
3 chiefly Brit : to wash the dishes after a meal
• I cooked dinner and he washed up afterwards.
wash your hands of : to say or decide that you will no longer deal with or be responsible for (someone or something) because you are angry, disgusted, etc. : to refuse to be involved with (something or someone) anymore
• I've tried to help them and they won't listen to me, so I'm washing my hands of the whole mess.