laving

verb

present participle of lave
as in washing
to flow along or against the cold water from the stream gently laved her burned fingers

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for laving
  1. washing
  2. bathing
  3. splashing
Verb
  • While no produce wash—including this one, vinegar, or baking soda—can eliminate Cyclospora, thoroughly washing your produce can help reduce dirt and contamination on the surface.
    — Alaina Chou, Bon Appetit Magazine, 30 July 2026
  • The inspector noted that employees weren’t washing their hands properly and the ice from a dirty ice machine wasn’t safe for human consumption.
    — Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 July 2026
Definition of washing
Verb
  • The rocks can provide birds with a safe place to perch when bathing, too.
    — Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 30 July 2026
  • Apparently, Alice has stopped bathing because Marshall used to yank her out of the shower to beat her up.
    — Erin Qualey, Vulture, 27 July 2026
Definition of bathing
Verb
  • For those who do choose to enter the water, experts recommend avoiding splashing, seals and schools of fish.
    — Aaron Parseghian, CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Emily in Paris chronicles the birth of an influencer, regularly splashing Emily’s Instagram posts and growing follower count across the screen.
    — Judy Berman, Time, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of splashing
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.

Browse Nearby Words

laves
laving
lavish
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Laving.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/laving. Accessed 7 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of invidious

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Aug. 7

How long is a jiffy?
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All