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1. The work of cleansing (usually with soap and water)
   - wash, lavation
    
2. Garments or white goods that can be cleaned by laundering
   - laundry, wash, washables

1. Cleanse with a cleaning agent, such as soap, and water
   "Wash the towels, please!";
   - launder
    
2. Cleanse (one's body) with soap and water
   - lave
    
3. Remove by the application of water or other liquid and soap or some other cleaning agent
   "he washed the dirt from his coat"; "The nurse washed away the blood"; "Can you wash away the spots on the windows?"; "he managed to wash out the stains"; "he washed off the dirt from his coat";
   - wash out, wash off, wash away
    
4. Move by or as if by water
   "The swollen river washed away the footbridge"
    
5. Be capable of being washed
   "Does this material wash?"
    
6. [informal] Admit to testing or proof
   "This silly excuse won't wash in traffic court"
    
7. Apply a thin coating of paint, metal, etc., to
    
8. Form by erosion
   "The river washed a ravine into the mountainside"
    
9. [literary] Make moist
   "The dew washed the meadows";
   - moisten, dampen
    
10. (of a liquid, esp. water) flow against
    "the waves washed the shore";
    - lave, lap
     
11. To cleanse (itself or another animal) by licking
    "The cat washes several times a day"
     
12. Clean with some chemical process
    - rinse
     
13. (mining) wash by removing particles
    "Wash ores";
    - hush
     
14. Separate dirt or gravel from (precious minerals)

Derived forms: washings

See also: wash up [N. Amer]

Type of: be, clean, cleanse, cover, displace, eat away, erode, flow, fret, garment, household linen, make clean, manchester [Austral, NZ], move, process, remove, separate, serve, stand, swear out, take, take away, wet, white goods, withdraw, work

Encyclopedia: Washing