Noun: washing wó-shing
- The work of cleansing (usually with soap and water)
"The nurse performed washing of the patient's wound";
- wash, lavation [archaic]
- Garments or white goods that can be cleaned by laundering
"She sorted her washing, separating the washables from the dry-clean only items";
- laundry, wash, washables
- Cleanse with a cleaning agent, such as soap, and water
"Wash the towels, please!";
- launder
- Cleanse (one's body) with soap and water
"She washed her face before bed";
- lave
- 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
- To cleanse (itself or another animal) by licking
"The cat washes several times a day"
- [literary] Make moist
"The dew washed the meadows";
- moisten, dampen
- (of a liquid, esp. water) flow against
"the waves washed the shore";
- lave, lap
- Move by or as if by water
"The swollen river washed away the footbridge"
- Be capable of being washed
"Does this material wash?"
- [informal] Admit to testing or proof
"This silly excuse won't wash in traffic court"
- Apply a thin coating of paint, metal, etc., to
"The artist washed the canvas with a light blue colour"
- Form by erosion
"The river washed a ravine into the mountainside"
- Clean with some chemical process
"The mechanic washed the engine parts in solvent";
- rinse
- (mining) wash by removing particles
"Wash ores";
- hush
- Separate dirt or gravel from (precious minerals)
"The prospectors washed the river sediment for gold"
Derived forms: washings
Type of: be, clean, cleanse, cover, displace, eat away, erode, exist, fret, garment, household linen, manchester [Austral, NZ], move, process, remove, separate, serve, stand, swear out, take, take away, wet, white goods, withdraw, work
Encyclopedia: Washing
Wash, Martha