washing

present participle of wash
1
as in bathing
to flow along or against crystal-clear waters gently wash the island's unspoiled beaches

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2
as in flying
to withstand scrutiny and gain acceptance or approval the employee's story about missing the bus didn't wash with her manager

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3
4
5
6
as in stirring
to cause (as a liquid) to move about in a circle especially repeatedly she absentmindedly washed her tea by tipping her cup, until the honey was at last mixed in

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of washing After assisting a customer, an employee put on gloves and scooped ice from the ice machine without washing their hands. Sacbee.com, 7 Nov. 2025 But one more theatrical feat of sleight of hand has occurred, because Kyoto’s washing your hands for you. Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 4 Nov. 2025 The restaurant also had health hazards such as old food residue on equipment and employees not washing their hands properly with soap, city officials said. Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 31 Oct. 2025 Sandra would go days in the same pajamas, not brushing her teeth, not washing her hair. Sean Williams, Outside, 27 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for washing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for washing
Verb
  • After bathing, wipe up any water from the floor to prevent mold and mildew from forming.
    Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 31 Oct. 2025
  • His dad Marty, an entrepreneur, did the yeoman’s work, lifting Ben out of bed and into his chair, then bathing and feeding him each day.
    Nick Stern, Rolling Stone, 30 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The evangelical missionary has been working with Crisis Response International, flying in resources to Jamaica at his own expense, said Sean Malone, CRI founder.
    Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 11 Nov. 2025
  • Three years later, 4,300 miles from home, Neal was flying the second-largest plane in the world.
    Brad Schmitt, Nashville Tennessean, 11 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Trail cameras captured the fuzzy guy cooling off by splashing around in a muddy puddle amid warm temperatures.
    USA TODAY, USA Today, 4 Nov. 2025
  • This is the original pool, an infinity-edge spot where, years ago, Bobby would spend hours splashing and then join us at Lotus for lunch.
    Jacqui Gifford, Travel + Leisure, 31 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • What sold me on the Shapton set was the process of wetting the whetstones.
    Jesse Raub, Bon Appetit Magazine, 30 Sep. 2025
  • Increase the resistance on this exercise by wetting the towel first.
    Aubrey Bailey, Verywell Health, 8 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The best way to prevent them is to always dry your sink after rinsing it.
    Daley Quinn, Southern Living, 6 Nov. 2025
  • If their numbers are small, rinsing your daylilies with a strong blast of water from your garden hose is often sufficient to get rid of them.
    Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Like something stirring within a stone, or the stone itself.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 7 Nov. 2025
  • The feature opens as Magda’s son returns from the front to this world without men, with his arrival stirring a growing unease among the group.
    Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 6 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Of those, about 44,000 were working adults and 42,000 were working for an employer, according to the report.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 6 Nov. 2025
  • Singaporean transit company ComfortDelGro, meanwhile, is working with Pony AI to explore offering robotaxis, while Lyft is collaborating with Baidu to test its Apollo Go self-driving cars in Europe.
    Sydney Lake, Fortune, 6 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Following their usual curtain call, Reeves, 61, and Winter, 60, slipped backstage, only to return moments later wearing nothing but their underwear and dripping in fake blood.
    Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 3 Nov. 2025
  • Amelia Gray was, fittingly, dripping in crystal for the Swarovski Masters of Light celebration in Los Angeles on Tuesday night.
    Kelsey Stewart, Footwear News, 29 Oct. 2025

Cite this Entry

“Washing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/washing. Accessed 16 Nov. 2025.

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