wash away

phrasal verb

washed away; washing away; washes away
1
: to carry (something) away by the movement of water
The bridge was washed away by flooding last year.
2
: to get rid of (something, such as unhappy or unpleasant thoughts) completely
Take a vacation to wash away your troubles.

Examples of wash away in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web An aspect of your previous identity gets washed away with the sun joining Neptune. USA TODAY, 17 Mar. 2024 If there was any evidence — or underwear — remaining in the truck, it had just been washed away. Carolyn Van Houten, Washington Post, 14 Mar. 2024 The excitement of the offseason can’t completely wash away those past disappointments, Betts said. Bill Plunkett, Orange County Register, 14 Feb. 2024 Across Southern California, floodwaters inundated some 450 square miles of the five-county area — basically equal the size of the city of Los Angeles — submerging homes in the San Fernando Valley and washing away the body of an Anaheim mother still cradling her baby, who was found a mile from home. Rong-Gong Lin Ii, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2024 Then wash away the solution or sweep away any remaining powder. Nafeesah Allen, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Jan. 2024 Excessive rainfall from Texas to the Northeast will be a significant factor, meaning that snow from Sunday could be washed away by heavy rain by Wednesday, increasing the chances of floods in places hit by both. Emily Schmall, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2024 Most of these drops are made to develop over a few hours, but some are more immediate and wash away after a day of wear, like the Drunk Elephant D-Bronzi Anti-Pollution Sunshine Drops. Alyssa Brascia, Peoplemag, 30 Jan. 2024 For some Poles, the elation of last fall’s election is already giving way to frustration and doubt about whether the change of government can succeed in washing away — or at least diluting — a decade of right-wing policies. Gerrit De Vynck, Washington Post, 27 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wash away.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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Cite this Entry

“Wash away.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wash%20away. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

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