wash / wäsh; wôsh/ • v. 1. [tr.] clean with water and, typically, soap or detergent: I stripped and washed myself all over. ∎  [intr.] clean oneself, esp. one's hands and face with soap and water. ∎  (of an animal) clean (itself or another) by licking. ∎  [tr.] remove (a stain or dirt) from something by cleaning with water and detergent: they have to keep washing the mold off the walls | fig. all that hate can't wash away the guilt. ∎  [intr.] (of dirt or a stain) be removed in such a way: the dirt on his clothes would easily wash out. ∎  [intr.] (of fabric, a garment, or dye) withstand cleaning to a specified degree without shrinking or fading: a linen-mix yarn that washes well. ∎  [intr.] do one's laundry: I need someone to cook and wash for me. ∎  (usu. be washed) poetic/lit. wet or moisten (something) thoroughly: you are beautiful with your face washed with rain.2. [tr.] (of flowing water) carry (someone or something) in a particular direction: floods washed away the bridges. ∎  [intr.] be carried by flowing water: an oil slick washed up on the beaches. ∎  [intr.] (esp. of waves) sweep, move, or splash in a particular direction: the sea began to wash along the decks. ∎  [tr.] (usu. be washed) (of a river, sea, or lake) flow through or lap against (a country, coast, etc.): offshore islands washed by warm blue seas. ∎  [intr.] (wash over) (of a feeling) affect (someone) suddenly: a deep feeling of sadness washed over her. ∎  [intr.] (wash over) occur all around without greatly affecting (someone): she allowed the babble of conversation to wash over her. ∎  [tr.] sift metallic particles from (earth or gravel) by running water through it.3. [tr.] (usu. be washed) brush with a thin coat of diluted paint or ink: the walls were washed with shades of umber. ∎  (wash something with) coat inferior metal with (a film of gold or silver from a solution).4. [intr.] inf. seem convincing or genuine: charm won't wash with this crew.• n. 1. [usu. in sing.] an act of washing something or an instance of being washed. ∎  a quantity of clothes needing to be or just having been washed: she hung out her Tuesday wash. ∎  a medicinal or cleansing solution: mouth wash.2. [in sing.] the disturbed water or air behind a moving boat or aircraft or the sound made by this: the wash of a motorboat. ∎  the surging of water or breaking of waves or the sound made by this: the wash of waves on the pebbled beach.3. a layer of paint or metal spread thinly on a surface: the walls were covered with a pale lemon wash.4. silt or gravel carried by a stream or river and deposited as sediment. ∎  a sandbank exposed only at low tide. ∎  (in the western U.S.) a dry bed of a stream, typically in a ravine, that flows only seasonally.5. kitchen slops and other food waste fed to pigs.6. malt fermenting in preparation for distillation.7. [in sing.] inf. a situation or result that is of no benefit to either of two opposing sides: the plan's impact on jobs would be a wash, creating as many as it costs.PHRASES: come out in the wash inf. be resolved eventually with no lasting harm: he's not happy, but he assures me it'll all come out in the wash.in the wash (of clothes, bed linen, or similar) put aside for washing or in the process of being washed.one hand washes the other mutual favors are exchanged: you can be on the list if you also link to our page. One hand washes the other.wash one's dirty linen (or laundry) in public inf. (of an individual or a member of an organization) discuss or argue about one's private affairs in public.wash one's hands go to the toilet (used euphemistically).wash one's hands of disclaim responsibility for: the social services washed their hands of his daughter.PHRASAL VERBS: wash something down1. wash or clean something thoroughly: she washed down the walls.2. accompany or follow food with a drink: bacon and eggs washed down with a cup of tea.wash out (or wash someone out) be excluded (or exclude someone) from a course or position after a failure to meet the required standards: a lot of them had washed out of pilot training.wash something out1. clean the inside of something with water.2. wash something, esp. a garment, quickly or briefly: I don't have time to wash a blouse out every night.3. (usu. be washed out) cause an event to be postponed or canceled because of rain: the game was washed out.4. (of a flood or downpour) make a breach in a road.

wash one does not wash one's dirty linen in public proverbial saying, early 19th century; meaning that discreditable matters should be dealt with privately. The French saying ‘c'est en famille, ce n'est pas en publique, qu'on lave son linge sale [one washes one's dirty linen amongst the family, not in public]’ is attributed to Napoleon.
wash one's hands of disclaim responsibility for; the original allusion is to the biblical story of Pontius Pilate who, when he was forced to condemn Jesus, sent for a bowl of water and ritually washed his hands as a sign that he was inncoent of ‘this just person’ (Matthew 27:24). In proverbial usage, the attempt at avoiding guilt is often seen as futile.

See also one hand washes the other.

wash cleanse with or as with water OE. (also refl. and intr. XII); of the sea, etc., flow over or past XIII; remove with or as with water XV. OE. str. vb. wæsċan, wasċan, waxan = OS. wascan (Du. wassen), OHG. wascan (G. waschen), ON. (wk.) vaska :- Gmc. *waskan :- *watskan, f. *wat- WATER. Traces of wk. conjugation appear XIV, but str. forms prevailed till XVI.
Hence wash sb. (not continuous with OE. wasċ, ġewæsċ) in various senses from XIV. Comp. wash-leather XVII; earlier †washen leather (wesshyn leddyr XV), †washed leather (XVII) suggest that the orig. ref. was to the washing which was a part of the manufacture.