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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Hurricane Katrina survivors know the horror of witnessing their lives wash away. Arick Wierson, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Aug. 2025 And to make sure that bridges are high enough and sturdy enough that they won’t be washed away in a one-in-1,000-year flood, for instance, civil engineers and city planners need precipitation data. Austyn Gaffney, The Atlantic, 28 Aug. 2025 His mother and granddaughter washed away. Olivia B. Waxman, Time, 27 Aug. 2025 In the Catholic tradition, baptism – the first sacrament a person receives – washes away sin and brings the baptized into the church. Timothy Gabrielli, The Conversation, 25 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for wash away

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Cite this Entry

“Wash away.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wash%20away. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

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