Webster's English Dictionary

Enter the word to look up:

wash

Cross references:
  1. dry wash              
 
1. wash \'wo.sh, 'wa:sh\ vb [ME washen, fr. OE wascan; akin to OHG waskan 
   to wash, OE ]wter water 1a: to cleanse by or as if by the action of 
   liquid (as water)  1b: to remove (as dirt) by rubbing or drenching with 
   liquid  2: to cleanse (fur) by licking or by rubbing with a paw moistened 
   with sal iva 3a: to flush or moisten (a bodily part or injury) with a 
   liquid  3b1: to wet thoroughly : SATURATE  3b2: OVERSPREAD, : SUFFUSE  3c: 
   to pass water over or through esp. so as to carry off material from th e 
   surface or interior 4: to flow along or dash or overflow against : LAVE  5: 
   to move, carry, or deposit by or as if by the force of water in motion  6a: 
   to subject (as crushed ore) to the action of water to separate valuabl e 
   material 6b: to separate (particles) from a substance (as ore) by agitation 
   with or  in water 6c1: to pass through a bath to carry off impurities or 
   soluble components  6c2: to pass (a gas or gaseous mixture) through or over 
   a liquid to purify  it esp. by removing soluble components 7a: to cover or 
   daub lightly with or as if with an application of a thin l iquid (as 
   whitewash or varnish) 7b: to depict or paint by a broad sweep of thin color 
   with a brush  8: to cause to swirl  1: to wash oneself or a part of one's 
   body  2: to become worn away by the action of water  3: to clean something 
   by rubbing or dipping in water  4a: to become carried or floated along on 
   water : DRIFT  4b: to pour, sweep, or flow in a stream or current  5: to 
   serve as a cleansing agent  6a: to undergo laundering without damage  6b: 
   to move with a lapping or splashing sound 
2. wash n 1a: the act or process or an instance of washing or being washed  
   1b: articles to be washed or being washed  2: the surging action of waves 
   or its sound  3a: a piece of ground washed by the sea or river  3b: BOG, 
   MARSH  3c: a shallow body of water or creek  West  3d: the dry bed of a 
   stream  4: worthless esp. liquid waste : REFUSE  5a: an insipid beverage  
   5b: vapid writing or speech  6a: a sweep or splash esp. of color made by or 
   as if by a long stroke of a  brush 6b: a thin coat of paint (as watercolor) 
    6c: a thin liquid used for coating a surface (as a wall)  7: LOTION  8: 
   loose or eroded surface material of the earth (as rock debris) transport ed 
   and deposited by running water 9a: BACKWASH  9b: a disturbance in the air 
   produced by the passage of an airfoil or prope ller
3. wash aj : WASHABLE