washout

1 of 2

noun

wash·​out ˈwȯsh-ˌau̇t 

ˈwäsh-

1

a

: the washing out or away of something and especially of earth in a roadbed by a freshet

b

: a place where earth is washed away

2

: one that fails to measure up : failure: such as

a

: one who fails in a course of training or study

b

: an unsuccessful enterprise or undertaking

wash out

2 of 2

verb

washed out; washing out; washes out

transitive verb

1

: to wash free of an extraneous substance (such as dirt)

2

a

: to cause to fade by or as if by laundering

b

: to deplete the strength or vitality of

c

: to eliminate as useless or unsatisfactory : reject

3

a

: to destroy or make useless by the force or action of water

the storm washed out the bridge

b

: rain out

the game was washed out

intransitive verb

1

: to become depleted of color or vitality : fade

2

: to fail to meet requirements or measure up to a standard

Synonyms

Noun

• disaster
• failure
• catastrophe
• disappointment
• bust

Verb

• collapse
• fail
• flop
• strike out
• fold
• fall short
• miss
• struggle
• fall flat
• lay an egg
• flame out
• come to grief
• come a cropper
• bomb
• tank

Examples of washout in a Sentence

Noun

He was a washout as a professional golfer.

The team lost so many games that the season was a total washout.

Yesterday's game was a washout.

Verb

most of the participants in the tough training program washed out

the bright lights of the TV studio washed out her facial features, making her look as white as a ghost

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The storm also left people trapped in seven vehicles on nearby roads after overflowing creeks caused washouts, deputies said. —Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 9 Sep. 2025

Because of semaglutide's long washout period, treatment should also be stopped at least two months before a planned pregnancy. —Daniella Gray, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Sep. 2025

Verb

College football is littered with stories of five-star recruits who have washed out. —Sam Khan Jr, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2025

The author also criticized a method of averaging results that washed out other temperature features, such as the medieval warming period. —Ian Dexter Palmer, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1873, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1540, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for washout

• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout
• checkout
• closeout
• cutout
• devout
• dropout

Kids Definition

washout

1 of 2 noun

wash·​out ˈwȯsh-ˌau̇t 

ˈwäsh-

1

a

: the washing away of earth (as from a road)

b

: a place where earth is washed away

2

: a complete failure

wash out

2 of 2 verb

(ˈ)wȯsh-ˈau̇t,

(ˈ)wäsh-

1

: to fade or cause to fade by or as if by laundering

2

: to exhaust the strength or energy

3

: to fail to measure up to a standard

4

: to destroy by the force or action of water

Medical Definition

washout

noun

wash·​out ˈwȯsh-ˌau̇t, ˈwäsh- 

: the action or process of progressively reducing the concentration of a substance (as a dye injected into the left ventricle of the heart)