wash

wash 1 S1 W3 / wɒʃ $ wɒʃ, wɑʃ / 动词

1 wash something [及物动词] 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 [不及物和及物动词] 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.

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In everyday English, people usually say that someone has a wash (BrE) or washes up (AmE) rather than washes .

3 flow [ intransitive, transitive always + 副词 / 介词 ] 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 o 动词 oard (= 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 dirty 1 ( 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 短语动词

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 短语动词

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 短语动词

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 短语动词

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 短语动词

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 短语动词

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