verb
wash
wosh
verb
1
To clean something using water, usually with soap.
"He washed the dishes right after dinner."
"Remember to wash your hands before you eat."
2
To wear away or carry something off through the force of moving water.
"Heavy rain washed the topsoil down the hillside."
noun
1
The act of washing, or a batch of laundry that has been washed together.
"I still need to hang the wash out to dry."
2
A result in which gains and losses cancel each other out, leaving no real net change.
"After paying the fees, the whole trade was basically a wash."
How to Use Wash
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo clean with water, or (informally) a situation where nothing is really gained or lost.
Common pairings
wash the dishes
wash your hands
a wash of colour
it's a wash
Word Forms
washed past tense, washen past tense, washes plural, washes singular
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Etymology
From Old English wascan ("to wash"), tracing back to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "wet" or "water" — the same root behind "water" itself.