eyewash

noun

eye·​wash ˈī-ˌwȯsh 

-ˌwäsh

1

: an eye lotion

2

: misleading or deceptive statements, actions, or procedures

Examples of eyewash in a Sentence

He says he'll quit his job, but we know that's just eyewash.

Recent Examples on the Web

The wooden crates were also stacked over 4 feet tall and were blocking emergency equipment, including an eyewash and shower station – which needed to be tested during the inspection – according to the report. —Pioneer Press, Twin Cities, 8 Feb. 2025

Under this legislation, private households would be required to provide eyewash stations if workers use bleach and could face fines up to $15,000 per safety violation. —Mackenzie Mays, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2023

Not a single eyewash station. —John Kelly, Washington Post, 11 Sep. 2022

There’s a thin line between optimism and eyewash. —Paul Daugherty, The Enquirer, 27 Oct. 2020

The company was also cited for not providing an eyewash station and for allowing workers to operate powered industrial vehicles in states of disrepair. —Talia Soglin, Chicago Tribune, 28 Sep. 2022

The last recorded visit by an OSHA inspector to the Henson Company’s Creature Shop facility in Burbank — based on an entry scribbled on an eyewash station seen in a photo shared with The Hollywood Reporter — was in 2017. —Seth Abramovitch, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Mar. 2022

Meanwhile, the Rooney Rule, which requires teams to interview minority candidates for head coaching and senior football leadership positions, has become toothless, modern-day eyewash. —Bryce Miller Columnist, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Feb. 2022

It was regularly infested with pigeons and other animals (which had to be wrangled out annually), and was outfitted with eyewash stations only in 2018, after numerous requests from various teams. —Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2021

Word History

First Known Use

1703, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for eyewash

• macintosh
• mackintosh
• mcintosh
• natchitoches
• backwash
• downwash
• mouthwash
• outwash
• panache
• whitewash
• bosh
• frosh

Kids Definition

eyewash

noun

eye·​wash -ˌwȯsh 

-ˌwäsh

: an eye lotion

Medical Definition

eyewash

noun

eye·​wash ˈī-ˌwȯsh, -ˌwäsh 

: an eye lotion