WASH: Synonyms and Related Words. What is Another Word for WASH?

Need another word that means the same as “wash”? Find 151 synonyms and 30 related words for “wash” in this overview.

The synonyms of “Wash” are: dampen, moisten, launder, wash away, wash off, wash out, lap, lave, rinse, clean, cleanse, sponge, scrub, wipe, scour, mop, hose down, squeegee, sluice, sluice down, swill, swill down, douse, swab, swab down, flush, disinfect, rinse out, shampoo, lather, clean oneself, have a wash, wash oneself, remove by washing, sponge off, scrub off, wipe off, rinse off, remove, flush away, flush out, expunge, eradicate, sweep, carry, convey, transport, move, deliver, deposit, drive, erode, abrade, wear away, corrode, eat away, eat into, denude, grind down, undermine, splash, splosh, dash, break, beat, strike, surge, ripple, roll, flow, paint, colour, apply paint to, tint, highlight, shade, dye, stain, distemper, plate, cover, coat, overlay, laminate, veneer, glaze, gild, silver, be accepted, be acceptable, be plausible, be convincing, hold up, hold water, stand up, bear scrutiny, stand the test of time, be believable, be credible, pass muster, prove true, make sense, washout, airstream, backwash, race, slipstream, laundry, washables, washing, lavation, dry wash, wash drawing, cleaning, cleansing, backflow, wake, trail, train, path, swell, welling, undulation, rise and fall, ebb and flow, lotion, salve, application, preparation, liquid, liniment, embrocation, emulsion, varnish, layer, film, pigswill, hogwash, pigwash, mash

Wash as a Noun

Definitions of "Wash" as a noun

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “wash” as a noun can have the following definitions:

• An act of washing something or an instance of being washed.
• A thin coat of water-base paint.
• A quantity of clothes needing to be or just having been washed.
• A watercolor made by applying a series of monochrome washes one over the other.
• Malt fermenting in preparation for distillation.
• A sandbank exposed only at low tide.
• The dry bed of an intermittent stream (as at the bottom of a canyon.
• A layer of paint or metal spread thinly on a surface.
• The erosive process of washing away soil or gravel by water (as from a roadway.
• The work of cleansing (usually with soap and water.
• A medicinal or cleansing solution.
• The flow of air that is driven backwards by an aircraft propeller.
• Silt or gravel carried by a stream or river and deposited as sediment.
• Garments or white goods that can be cleaned by laundering.
• The breaking of waves on a shore.
• A situation or result that is of no benefit to either of two opposing sides.
• Kitchen slops and other food waste fed to pigs.
• Any enterprise in which losses and gains cancel out.
• The water or air disturbed by a moving boat or aircraft.
• An inlet of the North Sea on the east coast of England between Norfolk and Lincolnshire.

Synonyms of "Wash" as a noun (49 Words)

airstream	A relatively well-defined prevailing wind. A warm south to south westerly airstream across Scotland.
application	The act of bringing something to bear; using it for a particular purpose. A novel application of electronics to medical diagnosis.
backflow	The movement of liquid or air back in the direction it was flowing from. The valves prevent backflow of blood into the veins.
backwash	The unpleasant after-effects of an event. The backwash is reduced in energy by the percolation of water into the shingle.
clean	An act of cleaning something. He gave the room a clean.
cleaning	The action of making something clean, especially the inside of a house. He gave his shoes a good cleaning.
cleansing	The act of making something clean.
coat	A woman’s tailored jacket, worn with a skirt or dress. A winter coat.
dry wash	A reformer who opposes the use of intoxicating beverages.
ebb and flow	A gradual decline (in size or strength or power or number.
embrocation	A liquid for rubbing on the body to relieve pain from sprains and strains. A range of embrocations tinctures syrups and tisanes.
emulsion	A type of paint used for walls consisting of pigment bound in a synthetic resin which forms an emulsion with water. Three coats of white emulsion.
film	A fine thread or filament. She quickly wiped away the light film of sweat.
flow	The act of flowing or streaming continuous progression. The museum had planned carefully for the flow of visitors.
hogwash	Nonsense.
laundry	Clothes and linen that need to be washed or that have been newly washed. The pathology department was in the hospital basement next to the laundry.
lavation	The work of cleansing (usually with soap and water.
layer	A shoot fastened down to take root while attached to the parent plant. Arrange a layer of aubergines in a dish.
liniment	A medicinal liquid that is rubbed into the skin to relieve muscular stiffness and pain.
liquid	A substance that is liquid at room temperature and pressure. Drink plenty of liquids.
lotion	A thick, smooth liquid preparation designed to be applied to the skin for medicinal or cosmetic purposes. A lotion for dry skin.
mash	A mixture of mashed malt grains and hot water used in brewing. A bucket of mash.
overlay	A block of code or other data transferred during the overlay process. Full colour aerial photographs with overlays showing suggested routes.
paint	The function or capability of producing graphics especially those that mimic the effect of real paint. Artists use paint and pigment interchangeably.
path	A course of action or way of achieving a specified result. A chosen career path.
pigswill	Wet feed (especially for pigs) consisting of mostly kitchen waste mixed with water or skimmed or sour milk.
pigwash	Kitchen or brewery refuse and scraps (especially in liquid form) used as food for pigs, pigswill; (in extended use) any liquid of inferior quality, as cheap beer, etc. Also figurative: rubbish, nonsense.
preparation	The state of having been made ready or prepared for use or action (especially military action. Preparations for the ceremony had begun.
race	A series of races for horses or dogs held at a fixed time on a set course. Angling for tuna in turbulent tidal races.
rinse	An act of rinsing something. A coloured rinse.
rise and fall	A wave that lifts the surface of the water or ground.
roll	The act of rolling something as the ball in bowling. A roll of carpet.
salve	Something that is soothing or consoling for wounded feelings or an uneasy conscience. He doctored their hurts with some strong smelling salve.
slipstream	The flow of air that is driven backwards by an aircraft propeller. When the US economy booms the rest of the world is pulled along in the slipstream.
splash	The sound like water splashing. Just a splash of whiskey.
stain	An act that brings discredit to the person who does it. He regarded his time in gaol as a stain on his character.
surge	A sudden or abrupt strong increase. An upsurge in violent crime.
sweep	A sweepstake. One fork of the drive continued on to the gravel sweep.
swell	A man who is much concerned with his dress and appearance. There was a heavy swell.
trail	A trailer for a film or broadcast. The hotel is well off the tourist trail.
train	A retinue of attendants accompanying an important person. The fool got his tie caught in the geartrain.
undulation	A smoothly rising and falling form, outline, or movement. The road follows the undulations of the countryside.
varnish	A coating that provides a hard, lustrous, transparent finish to a surface. An outward varnish of civilization.
wake	A vigil held over a corpse the night before burial. The motorboat s wake capsized the canoe.
wash drawing	A watercolor made by applying a series of monochrome washes one over the other.
washables	Garments or white goods that can be cleaned by laundering.
washing	The action of washing oneself or laundering clothes bed linen etc. Avoid over enthusiastic washing.
washout	Someone who is unsuccessful. It was several days after the storm before they could repair the washout and open the road.
welling	A cavity or vessel used to contain liquid.

Usage Examples of "Wash" as a noun

• From the house they watched the washout of their newly seeded lawn by the water.
• At the end of the year the accounting department showed that it was a wash.
• She hung out her Tuesday wash.
• The wash of waves on the pebbled beach.
• Her hair needs a wash.
• Citrus-scented body wash.
• The walls were covered with a pale lemon wash.
• The wash of a motorboat.
• The plan's impact on jobs would be a wash, creating as many as it costs.

Wash as a Verb

Definitions of "Wash" as a verb

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “wash” as a verb can have the following definitions:

• Admit to testing or proof.
• (of flowing water) carry (someone or something) in a particular direction.
• Remove by the application of water or other liquid and soap or some other cleaning agent.
• Be capable of being washed.
• Seem convincing or genuine.
• Do one's laundry.
• Cleanse with a cleaning agent, such as soap, and water.
• Clean with water and, typically, soap or detergent.
• Form by erosion.
• (especially of waves) sweep or splash in a particular direction.
• (of a river, sea, or lake) flow through or lap against (a country, coast, etc.
• Make moist.
• Separate dirt or gravel from (precious minerals.
• (with reference to a stain or dirt) remove or be removed by cleaning with water and detergent.
• Coat inferior metal with (a film of gold or silver from a solution.
• Wash or flow against.
• Wet or moisten (something) thoroughly.
• (of fabric, a garment, or dye) withstand cleaning to a specified degree without shrinking or fading.
• Clean oneself with soap and water.
• Clean with some chemical process.
• Move by or as if by water.
• Cleanse (one's body) with soap and water.
• To cleanse (itself or another animal) by licking.
• Apply a thin coating of paint, metal, etc., to.
• Be carried by flowing water.
• Brush with a thin coat of dilute paint or ink.
• Sift metallic particles from (earth or gravel) by running water through it.

Synonyms of "Wash" as a verb (102 Words)

abrade	Scrape or wear away by friction or erosion. It was a landscape slowly abraded by a fine stinging dust.
apply paint to	Be applicable to; as to an analysis.
be acceptable	Form or compose.
be accepted	Have an existence, be extant.
be believable	Represent, as of a character on stage.
be convincing	Happen, occur, take place.
be credible	Form or compose.
be plausible	Be identical to; be someone or something.
bear scrutiny	Move while holding up or supporting.
beat	Shape by beating. Upright cleaners have a motorized head which beats the carpet to loosen the dirt.
break	Break a piece from a whole. Break a record.
carry	(of a gun or similar weapon) propel (a missile) to a specified distance. They relied on dialogue to carry the plot.
clean	Make clean remove dirt marks or stains from. Clean up before you see your grandparents.
clean oneself	Clean one’s body or parts thereof, as by washing.
cleanse	Free (someone) from sin or guilt. The mission to cleanse the nation of subversives.
coat	Put a coat on cover the surface of furnish with a surface. Dirt had coated her face.
colour	Take on a different colour. Surprise coloured her voice.
convey	Make known; pass on, of information. The real virtues and diversity of America had never been conveyed in the movies.
corrode	Cause to deteriorate due to the action of water, air, or an acid. The metal corroded.
cover	Provide with a covering or cause to be covered. The grounds covered eight acres.
dampen	Make slightly wet. Slider switches on the mixers can dampen the drums.
dash	Break into pieces, as by striking or knocking over. She dashed into the yard.
deliver	Deliver a speech oration or idea. Deliver a blow.
denude	Strip (something) of its covering, possessions, or assets. Almost overnight the Arctic was denuded of animals.
deposit	Pay (a sum of money) into a bank or building society account. The female deposits a line of eggs.
disinfect	Destroy microorganisms or pathogens by cleansing. He disinfected and dressed the cut on his forehead.
distemper	Paint with distemper.
douse	Lower (a sail) quickly. Douse a rope.
drive	Work as a driver. Some people are driven to murder their tormentors.
dye	Add a colour to or change the colour of something by soaking it in a solution impregnated with a dye. Please dye these shoes.
eat away	Worry or cause anxiety in a persistent way.
eat into	Eat a meal; take a meal.
eradicate	Destroy completely; put an end to. This disease has been eradicated from the world.
erode	Remove soil or rock. Many had their upper incisors missing and their maxillae eroded.
expunge	Remove by erasing or crossing out or as if by drawing a line. The kind of man that could expunge an unsatisfactory incident from his memory.
flow	Fall or flow in a certain way. People flowed into the huge courtyard.
flush	Remove or dispose of an object or substance by flushing. I flushed the pills down the lavatory.
flush away	Turn red, as if in embarrassment or shame.
flush out	Turn red, as if in embarrassment or shame.
gild	Cover thinly with gold. The first rays of the sun were gilding the grassy hillside.
glaze	Coat with something sweet such as a hard sugar glaze. Windows can be glazed using laminated glass.
grind down	Reduce to small pieces or particles by pounding or abrading.
have a wash	Organize or be responsible for.
highlight	Mark with a highlighter. Highlight the area above your eyebrows.
hold up	Support or hold in a certain manner.
hold water	Be capable of holding or containing.
hose down	Water with a hose.
laminate	Create laminate by bonding sheets of material with a bonding material. We will laminate your photos in clear plastic.
lap	Pass the tongue over. The cat lapped up the milk.
lather	Form a lather. She was lathering herself languidly beneath the shower.
launder	Wash and iron (clothes or linen. We began to notice attempts to launder the data retrospectively.
lave	Wash one’s face and hands. The sea below laved the shore with small agitated waves.
make sense	Achieve a point or goal.
moisten	Moisten with fine drops. She moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue.
mop	To wash or wipe with or as if with a mop. He mopped her forehead with a towel.
move	Move so as to change position perform a nontranslational motion. They moved house four days after the baby was born.
overlay	Lie on top of. A third screen which will overlay the others.
paint	Depict someone or something or produce a picture with paint. He painted all day in the garden.
pass muster	Move past.
plate	Inoculate cells or infective material on to a culture plate especially with the object of isolating a particular strain of microorganisms or estimating viable cell numbers. Matt Wignot plated two of Clarkson s runs.
prove true	Cause to puff up with a leaven.
remove	Remove from a position or an office. He was removed from his teaching position.
remove by washing	Go away or leave.
rinse	Rinse one s mouth and throat with mouthwash. Karen rinsed her mouth out.
rinse off	Wash off soap or remaining dirt.
rinse out	Rinse one’s mouth and throat with mouthwash.
ripple	Stir up water so as to form ripples. The Mediterranean rippled and sparkled.
roll	Shape by rolling. They were rolling about with laughter.
scour	Remove dirt or unwanted matter by scouring. He immediately proceeded to scour him with the most potent medicines.
scrub	Cancel or abandon (something. The first two races had to be scrubbed because of blustery winds and rough seas.
scrub off	Wash thoroughly.
shade	Represent the effect of shade or shadow on. Banks may shade the margin over base rate they charge customers.
shampoo	Wash or clean something especially the hair with shampoo. Dolly was sitting in the bath shampooing her hair.
silver	Especially of the moon give a silvery appearance to. Alexia remained a young woman even as her hair silvered.
sluice	Draw through a sluice. Sluice the earth.
sluice down	Pour as if from a sluice.
splash	Mark or overlay with patches of contrasting color or texture cause to appear splashed or spattered. She splashed the water around her.
splosh	Cause (a liquid) to spatter about, especially with force. We had to splosh across the wet meadow.
sponge	Gather sponges in the ocean. I ll go and sponge this orange juice off my dress.
sponge off	Wipe with a sponge, so as to clean or moisten.
squeegee	Wipe with a squeegee. Squeegee the shower doors while the surfaces are still wet.
stain	Be marked or be liable to be marked with a stain. Red powder paint can stain.
stand the test of time	Hold one’s ground; maintain a position; be steadfast or upright.
stand up	Be standing; be upright.
strike	Undertake strike action against an employer. If they do strike oil there will be another test well in a year s time.
surge	Increase suddenly and powerfully. The boats surged.
swab	Wash with a swab or a mop. We swabbed the ice off the decks.
swab down	Eat immoderately.
sweep	Make a big sweeping gesture or movement. Please sweep the floor.
swill	Wash or rinse out (an area or container) by pouring large amounts of water or other liquid over or into it. His beer swilling pals.
swill down	Feed pigs.
tint	Dye someone s hair with a tint. They spent hours having their hair tinted and set.
transport	Transport commercially. The book transported her to new worlds.
undermine	Erode the base or foundation of (a rock formation. This could undermine years of hard work.
veneer	Cover with veneer. Veneer the furniture to protect it.
wash away	Cleanse (one’s body) with soap and water.
wash off	Make moist.
wash oneself	Wash or flow against.
wash out	Admit to testing or proof.
wear away	Have or show an appearance of.
wipe	Pass a swipe card over an electronic reader. You can wipe that idea if that s what you re thinking.
wipe off	Rub with a circular motion.

Usage Examples of "Wash" as a verb

• Does this material wash?
• The river washed a ravine into the mountainside.
• All that hate can't wash away the guilt.
• This silly excuse won't wash in traffic court.
• Offshore islands washed by warm blue seas.
• Can you wash away the spots on the windows?
• The nurse washed away the blood.
• You are beautiful with your face washed with rain.
• The sand has been churned and washed by miners.
• He reached for the soap and began to wash.
• Auntie Lou had washed all their clothes.
• He managed to wash out the stains.
• He washed the dirt from his coat.
• Floods washed away the bridges.
• They have to keep washing the mould off the walls.
• The cat washes several times a day.
• An oil slick washed up on the beaches.
• A linen-mix yarn which washes well.
• The sea began to wash along the decks.
• The walls were washed with shades of umber.
• The dirt on his clothes would easily wash out.
• The swollen river washed away the footbridge.
• I need someone to cook and wash for me.
• Copper washed with silver.
• Charm won't wash with this crew.

Associations of "Wash" (30 Words)

ablution	An act of washing oneself. The women performed their ablutions.
bath	Wash oneself while immersed in a bath. He has a good bath every morning.
bathe	Wash (someone) in a bath. The park lay bathed in sunshine.
bathtub	A relatively large open container that you fill with water and use to wash the body.
bleach	The act of whitening something by bleaching it exposing it to sunlight or using a chemical bleaching agent. His contributions to the album are bleached of personality.
borax	An ore of boron consisting of hydrated sodium borate; used as a flux or cleansing agent.
bubble	Cause to form bubbles. The US economy squandered trillions as a result of the 1990s stock market bubble.
clean	Be cleanable. Clean grain before milling it.
cleaner	A device for cleaning such as a vacuum cleaner. She s one of the office cleaners.
cleanliness	The habit of keeping free of superficial imperfections. Standards of cleanliness have been criticized by patients and visitors.
cleanly	In an adroit manner. He bounced it cleanly off the wall.
cleanse	Purge of an ideology, bad thoughts, or sins. The mission to cleanse the nation of subversives.
conditioner	A substance or appliance used to improve the condition of something. Farm work can be a good conditioner.
dampen	Make slightly wet. Slider switches on the mixers can dampen the drums.
deaden	Make (someone) insensitive to something. Laughter might deaden us to the moral issue.
disinfection	Treatment to destroy harmful microorganisms. Instruments must undergo high level disinfection before reuse.
drizzle	(in cooking) a thin stream of a liquid ingredient trickled over food. When it drizzles in summer hiking can be pleasant.
froth	Become bubbly or frothy or foaming. Her skirt swirled in a froth of black lace.
lather	Exude sweat or lather. We lathered the cream on our scones.
launder	Wash and iron (clothes or linen. 123 000 had been laundered through Geneva bank accounts.
laundry	Garments or white goods that can be cleaned by laundering. Cooking and laundry were undertaken by domestic staff.
lave	(of water) wash against or over (something. The waves laved the shore.
moisten	Moisten with fine drops. She moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue.
rinse	Rinse one s mouth and throat with mouthwash. Karen rinsed her mouth out.
sanitation	The state of being clean and conducive to health. They could afford to erect new dwellings with a reasonable standard of construction and sanitation.
scrub	An act of scrubbing something or someone. Bill emerged from the delivery room in green scrubs.
shampoo	An act of washing or cleaning something especially the hair with shampoo. Apply oil to wet hair otherwise it will be difficult to shampoo it out.
shower	Take a shower wash one s body in the shower. He showered her with kisses.
soap	Wash with soap. The soaps are top of the ratings.
washing	The action of washing oneself or laundering clothes bed linen etc. She took her washing around to the launderette.