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

• bomb
• bummer
• bust
• catastrophe
• clinker
• clunker
• debacle
• débâcle
• disaster
• dud
• failure
• fiasco
• fizzle
• flop
• frost
• lemon
• loser
• miss
• shipwreck
• turkey

Verb

• bomb
• collapse
• crater
• fail
• flame out
• flop
• flunk
• fold
• founder
• miss
• strike out
• 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

Friday, day two of the four-day festival, was a washout. —Kirby Adams, The Courier-Journal, 30 Sep. 2024

There have been major road washouts across Brunswick County due to today's heavy rainfall and flash flooding. —Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 17 Sep. 2024

Verb

Her Vogue shoot featuring Zendaya in April drew negative headlines for what critics deemed lackluster lighting, with some arguing that the model’s skin tone appeared gray and washed out. —Leah Dolan, CNN, 11 Oct. 2024

There is little way to get from South Carolina to Tennessee as parts of Interstate 40 are washed out. —Patrik Jonsson, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1873, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1540, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

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)