wash

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