wash·out
ˈwȯsh-ˌau̇t 
ˈwäsh-
washed out; washing out; washes out
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
1
: to become depleted of color or vitality : fade
2
: to fail to meet requirements or measure up to a standard
Synonyms
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
John Shipley, Twin Cities, 15 Apr. 2024
These washout levels typically represent a floor for nat gas prices.
—Brett Owens, Forbes, 17 Feb. 2024
Medium The weekend doesn’t look like a washout, but showers are possible at times, starting perhaps Saturday afternoon and continuing into Sunday.
—Jason Samenow, Washington Post, 25 Mar. 2024
With those April showers come clouds that could render viewing the the eclipse a little less thrilling or even a complete washout.
—Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 20 Feb. 2024
No complaints about 3-1 overall last week, but the washout against the spread was a plain bummer.
—Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 25 Jan. 2024
Not a complete washout forcing you to stay inside, but an umbrella or a good rain jacket might be wise.
—A. Camden Walker, Washington Post, 1 Dec. 2023
In 2017, a Lansing resident was killed because of a washout on the same stretch of road.
—Madeline Heim and Brittney J. Miller, Journal Sentinel, 27 Apr. 2023
The buck bedded near an overgrown washout that ran through the corn.
—Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 13 Dec. 2023
Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, 25 Apr. 2024
As chatbots, translation devices, and voice assistants become a crucial way to navigate the web, that rising tide of generative AI could wash out thousands of Indigenous and low-resource languages such as Fon—languages that lack sufficient text with which to train AI models.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 12 Apr. 2024
In 2016, flooding from a storm in Saxon Harbor washed out roads, knocked out power and took the lives of three people as flood waters powered through the area.
—Laura Schulte, Journal Sentinel, 3 Apr. 2024
This past weekend, historically a close second in terms of the number of visitors to South Beach and Florida's coastal cities and criminal activity, was nearly washed out.
—Chris Eberhart, Fox News, 26 Mar. 2024
The atmosphere also washes out the spectral features of the cloud because of an effect known as pressure broadening.
—IEEE Spectrum, 7 Mar. 2024
The water washed out roads and shut down the park for months.
—Reis Thebault, Washington Post, 1 Mar. 2024
Sports mode is generally too bright, so the game looks washed out.
—Kim Komando, USA TODAY, 15 Feb. 2024
The video then shows men in uniforms washing out Obidi’s eyes and misting her back with an aerosol spray.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 12 Apr. 2024
Noun
That first start wasn’t a complete washout, either.
—John Shipley, Twin Cities, 15 Apr. 2024
These washout levels typically represent a floor for nat gas prices.
—Brett Owens, Forbes, 17 Feb. 2024
Medium The weekend doesn’t look like a washout, but showers are possible at times, starting perhaps Saturday afternoon and continuing into Sunday.
—Jason Samenow, Washington Post, 25 Mar. 2024
With those April showers come clouds that could render viewing the the eclipse a little less thrilling or even a complete washout.
—Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 20 Feb. 2024
No complaints about 3-1 overall last week, but the washout against the spread was a plain bummer.
—Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 25 Jan. 2024
Not a complete washout forcing you to stay inside, but an umbrella or a good rain jacket might be wise.
—A. Camden Walker, Washington Post, 1 Dec. 2023
In 2017, a Lansing resident was killed because of a washout on the same stretch of road.
—Madeline Heim and Brittney J. Miller, Journal Sentinel, 27 Apr. 2023
The buck bedded near an overgrown washout that ran through the corn.
—Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 13 Dec. 2023
Verb
In the body, however, the large majority of phthalates and bisphenols are washed out quickly, principally by the urinary system and also via sweat, in as little as 24 hours.
—Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, 25 Apr. 2024
As chatbots, translation devices, and voice assistants become a crucial way to navigate the web, that rising tide of generative AI could wash out thousands of Indigenous and low-resource languages such as Fon—languages that lack sufficient text with which to train AI models.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 12 Apr. 2024
In 2016, flooding from a storm in Saxon Harbor washed out roads, knocked out power and took the lives of three people as flood waters powered through the area.
—Laura Schulte, Journal Sentinel, 3 Apr. 2024
This past weekend, historically a close second in terms of the number of visitors to South Beach and Florida's coastal cities and criminal activity, was nearly washed out.
—Chris Eberhart, Fox News, 26 Mar. 2024
The atmosphere also washes out the spectral features of the cloud because of an effect known as pressure broadening.
—IEEE Spectrum, 7 Mar. 2024
The water washed out roads and shut down the park for months.
—Reis Thebault, Washington Post, 1 Mar. 2024
Sports mode is generally too bright, so the game looks washed out.
—Kim Komando, USA TODAY, 15 Feb. 2024
The video then shows men in uniforms washing out Obidi’s eyes and misting her back with an aerosol spray.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 12 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'washout.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near washout
Cite this Entry
“Washout.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/washout. Accessed 1 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids 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)
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share