■ verb
1》 clean with water and, typically, soap or detergent.
↘remove (a stain or dirt) in this way.
↘(of fabric, a garment, or dye) withstand cleaning to a specified degree without shrinking or fading.
↘do one's laundry.
2》 (of flowing water) carry or move in a particular direction.
↘be carried by flowing water.
↘sift metallic particles from (earth or gravel) by running water through it.
3》 ( ~ over ) occur all around without greatly affecting.
4》 literary wet or moisten.
5》 brush with a thin coat of dilute paint or ink.
↘( ~ something with ) coat inferior metal with (a film of gold or silver from a solution).
6》 [with negative ] informal seem convincing or genuine.
■ noun
1》 an act of ~ing or an instance of being ~ed.
↘a quantity of clothes needing to be or just having been ~ed.
2》 the water or air disturbed by a moving boat or aircraft.
↘the breaking of waves on a shore.
3》 a medicinal or cleansing solution.
4》 a thin coating of paint or metal.
5》 silt or gravel carried by water and deposited as sediment.
↘a sandbank exposed only at low tide.
6》 malt fermenting in preparation for distillation.
7》 N. Amer. informal a situation or result that is of no benefit to either of two opposing sides.
Phrases
come out in the ~ informal be resolved eventually.
~ one's dirty linen (or laundry ) in public informal discuss one's personal affairs in public.
~ one's hands euphemistic go to the toilet.
~ one's hands of disclaim responsibility for. [orig. with biblical allusion to Matt. 27:24.]
Phrasal verbs
~ out N. Amer. be excluded from a course or position after failing to meet the required standards.
~ something out
1》 cause an event to be postponed or cancelled because of rain.
2》 (of a flood or downpour) make a breach in a road.
~ up
1》 (also ~ something up ) chiefly Brit. clean crockery and cutlery after use.
2》 N. Amer. clean one's hands and face.
Derivatives
~ability noun
~able adjective
Origin
OE wæscan (v.), of Gmc origin; related to water .