Meanings
washer1
nounwasher (plural washers)
plural washers
- Something that washes; especially an appliance such as a washing machine or dishwasher.
A £1.2 million carriage washer has opened at Norwich Crown Point, enabling Greater Anglia to clean its 58 Stadler trains. It is one of two new washers (the other is for '720s' at Southend), […]
2021 January 13, “GA opens new carriage washers”, in RAIL, issue 922, page 15 - A person who washes (especially clothes) for a living; a washerman or washerwoman.
- A person who washes their hands compulsively, as a symptom of obsessive-compulsive disorder.
- A face cloth.
washer2
nounwasher (plural washers)
plural washers
- A flat piece of material, often of metal and often an annulus, placed beneath a nut or at some joint, to distribute pressure, alleviate friction, provide directionally differentiated friction (e.g. making the nut turn counter-clockwise only with difficulty), or prevent leakage.
To ensure that the stays are steamtight, a nut is then screwed tight up to copper washers inside and out.
1955 February, “The Why and the Wherefore: The Belpaire Firebox”, in Railway Magazine, page 146
verbwasher (third-person singular simple present washers, present participle washering, simple past and past participle washered)
present singular third person washers · participle present washering · participle past washered · past washered
- transitiveTo fit (a mechanical device) with a washer.
Washer3
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna home appliance for washing clothes and linens automatically
Similar
automatic washerwashing machine
Broader
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
washer · noun
- Middle Englishwasshere
- Englishwasher
From Middle English wasshere, wassher, equivalent to wash + -er. Cognate with Dutch wasser, German Wäscher.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek φαιδρυντής, φαιδρύντρια
- φαιδρυντής (phaidruntḗs)person who washes for a living
- φαιδρύντρια (phaidrúntria)person who washes for a living
Arabic غِسَالَة, حَلْقَة
- غِسَالَة (ḡisāla)person who washes for a living
- حَلْقَة (ḥalqa)flat annulus
Basque zirrindola
- zirrindolaflat annulus
Bulgarian пера́лня, мия́ч
- пера́лня (perálnja)something that washes
- мия́ч (mijáč)person who washes for a living
- мия́чка (mijáčka)person who washes for a living
- ша́йба (šájba)flat annulus
Catalan rentadora, bugader
- rentadorasomething that washes
- bugaderperson who washes for a living
- bugaderaperson who washes for a living
- tovallolaface cloth
- drapetface cloth
- tovallonerface cloth
- volanderaflat annulus
Chinese Mandarin 洗衣婦 /洗衣妇, 墊片 /垫片
- 洗衣婦 /洗衣妇 (xǐyīfù)person who washes for a living
- 墊片 /垫片 (diànpiàn)flat annulus
- 墊圈 /垫圈 (diànquān)flat annulus
Czech pračka, myčka
- pračkasomething that washes
- myčkasomething that washes
- pradlenaperson who washes for a living
- podložkaflat annulus
Danish vaskemaskine, spændeskive
- vaskemaskinesomething that washes
- spændeskiveflat annulus
- spændskiveflat annulus
Dutch wasmachine, vaatwasser
- wasmachinesomething that washes
- vaatwassersomething that washes
- wasserettejuffrouwperson who washes for a living
- leertjeflat annulus
- ringflat annulus
- schijfflat annulus
Esperanto ŝtopringo
- ŝtopringoflat annulus
Estonian pesur, survepesur
- pesursomething that washes
- survepesursomething that washes
- pesumasinsomething that washes
- nõudepesumasin (dishwasher)something that washes
- pesijaperson who washes for a living
- pesunaine (launderette)person who washes for a living
- aknapesijaperson who washes for a living
- näorätikface cloth
- seibflat annulus
Finnish pesukone, pesuri
- pesukonesomething that washes
- pesurisomething that washes
- pesinsomething that washes
- pesijäperson who washes for a living
- pesijätärperson who washes for a living
- pyykkäriperson who washes for a living
- pesulappuface cloth
- aluslevyflat annulus
- aluslaattaflat annulus
- prikkaflat annulus
French laveur, laveuse
- laveurperson who washes for a living
- laveuseperson who washes for a living
- rondelleflat annulus
German Waschmaschine, Spülmaschine (dishwasher)
- Waschmaschinesomething that washes
- Spülmaschine (dishwasher)something that washes
- Wäscherperson who washes for a living
- Wäscherinperson who washes for a living
- Waschfrauperson who washes for a living
- Waschlappenface cloth
- Scheibeflat annulus
- Unterlegscheibeflat annulus
Greek ροδέλα
- ροδέλα (rodéla)flat annulus
Hebrew שַׁיְבָּה \ שייבה
- שַׁיְבָּה \ שייבה (sháyba)flat annulus
Hindi धुलाई मशीन, वाशर
- धुलाई मशीन (dhulāī maśīn)something that washes
- वाशर (vāśar)flat annulus
Hungarian mosó, mosógép
- mosósomething that washes
- mosógépsomething that washes
- mosóberendezéssomething that washes
- mosóperson who washes for a living
- mosómunkásperson who washes for a living
- mosónőperson who washes for a living
- arctörlőface cloth
- csavaralátétflat annulus
- alátétgyűrűflat annulus
- alátétflat annulus
- tömítőgyűrűflat annulus
- alátétkarikaflat annulus
- alátéttárcsaflat annulus
- aljlemezflat annulus
- párnalemezflat annulus
- biztosítólemezflat annulus
- csavar-alátétlemezflat annulus
Irish inneall níocháin, meaisín níocháin
- inneall níocháinsomething that washes
- meaisín níocháinsomething that washes
- niteoirperson who washes for a living
- leicneánflat annulus
Italian lavatrice, lavastoviglie (dishwasher)
- lavatricesomething that washes
- lavastoviglie (dishwasher)something that washes
- rondellaflat annulus
Japanese 洗濯機, 洗濯女
- 洗濯機 (sentakuki)something that washes
- 洗濯女 (sentaku onna)person who washes for a living
- 座金 (zagane)flat annulus
- ワッシャー (wasshā)flat annulus
Korean 세탁기, 와셔
- 세탁기 (setakgi)something that washes
- 와셔 (wasyeo)flat annulus
Latvian paplāksne
- paplāksneflat annulus
Lithuanian poveržlė
- poveržlėflat annulus
Māori mīhini horoi rīhi (dishwasher), pūrere horoi rīhi (dishwasher)
- mīhini horoi rīhi (dishwasher)something that washes
- pūrere horoi rīhi (dishwasher)something that washes
- pūrere horoi kākahusomething that washes
- kaihoroisomething that washes
Norwegian vaskehjelp, vaskekone
- vaskehjelpperson who washes for a living
- vaskekoneperson who washes for a living
- vaskerperson who washes for a living
- ansiktsklutface cloth
Norwegian Bokmål vaskemaskin, oppvaskmaskin (dishwasher)
- vaskemaskinsomething that washes
- oppvaskmaskin (dishwasher)something that washes
- skiveflat annulus
- stoppskiveflat annulus
Polish praczka, podkładka
- praczkaperson who washes for a living
- podkładkaflat annulus
Portuguese lavador, lavadeiro
- lavadorsomething that washes
- lavadeiroperson who washes for a living
- arruelaflat annulus
- anilhaflat annulus
Romanian șaibă
- șaibăflat annulus
Russian пра́чка, ша́йба
- пра́чка (práčka)person who washes for a living
- ша́йба (šájba)flat annulus
Slovak práčka, podložka
- práčkaperson who washes for a living
- podložkaflat annulus
Spanish lavadora, lavarropa
- lavadorasomething that washes
- lavarropasomething that washes
- lavarropassomething that washes
- lavavajilla (dishwasher)something that washes
- lavavajillas (dishwasher)something that washes
- lavanderaperson who washes for a living
- pañoface cloth
- toallitaface cloth
- manoplaface cloth
- arandelaflat annulus
- zapataflat annulus
- guachaflat annulus
- huachaflat annulus
- wachaflat annulus
- cueritoflat annulus
- vilortaflat annulus
- herrónflat annulus
Swedish tvättmaskin, tvätterska
- tvättmaskinsomething that washes
- tvätterskaperson who washes for a living
- brickaflat annulus
- packningflat annulus
- skivaflat annulus
Tagalog labadora, sapatilya
- labadorasomething that washes
- sapatilyaflat annulus
Tamil சலவைக்காரர்
- சலவைக்காரர் (calavaikkārar)person who washes for a living
Thai แหวน
- แหวน (wɛ̌ɛn)flat annulus
Turkish rondela
- rondelaflat annulus
Ukrainian пра́ля, ша́йба
- пра́ля (prálja)person who washes for a living
- ша́йба (šájba)flat annulus
Urdu واشَر
- واشَر (vāśar)flat annulus
Yiddish וועשער, וועשערין
- וועשער (vesher)person who washes for a living
- וועשערין (vesherin)person who washes for a living
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with washer
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
washer. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/washer
MLA
“washer.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/washer. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “washer,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/washer.
Source: washer on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.