wash down

verb

washed down; washing down; washes down

transitive verb

1

: to move or carry downward by action of a liquid

especially : to facilitate the passage of (food) down the gullet with accompanying swallows of liquid

pizza washed down with beer

2

: to wash the whole length or extent of

washed down and scrubbed the front porch

Examples of wash down in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Even the nicer California wines were better for washing down food than savoring for taste. —Mark Dent, HubSpot, 15 May 2026

The lobster rolls are just as good—even better when washed down with a local ale from Buzzards Bay Brewing. —Anna Laird Barto, Travel + Leisure, 13 May 2026

Guests were served canapes including a surprisingly brilliant mango and mung bean tartare plus chicken teriyaki kebabs, all washed down with elegant Hugo Spritz and espresso martinis. —Partner Content, Variety, 9 May 2026

This section of the p-trap is also responsible for collecting debris as it's washed down the drain. —Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 8 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1600, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for wash down

• adown
• blowdown
• breakdown
• countdown
• crackdown
• crosstown
• downtown
• drawdown
• dropdown
• facedown
• godown
• hometown