Meanings
present singular third person washes up · participle present washing up · participle past washed up · past washed up
- UKambitransitiveTo clean the utensils, dishes etc. used in preparing and eating a meal.
You wash up tonight and I'll dry.
1 more example
I'm not washing up all these dishes.
Synonyms: do the dishes, do the washing-up
- transitiveTo carry (an object) to land.
The whale was washed up on the beach.
1 more example
The tide washes up a lot of driftwood.
- intransitiveTo be carried by water to land.
Some dangerous chemicals washed up on the beach.
- broadlyintransitiveTo arrive in a place; to end up somewhere.
Ron Asheton also washed up in LA, jamming with one-time Stooge Jimmy Recca and Amboy Dukes drummer K. J. Knight.
2009, Joe Ambrose, Gimme Danger: The Story of Iggy Pop - slangtransitiveAfrican-American VernacularTo beat up (someone).
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo clean the utensils, dishes etc. used in preparing and eating a meal.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
Chinese Mandarin 洗臉 /洗脸, 洗手
- 洗臉 /洗脸 (xǐliǎn)wash one's hands and/or face (US)
- 洗手 (xǐshǒu)wash one's hands and/or face (US)
- 冲刷 (chōngshuā)be carried on to land by water
Czech umýt ruce
- umýt rucewash one's hands and/or face (US)
Dutch zich opfrissen, zich wassen
- zich opfrissenwash one's hands and/or face (US)
- zich wassenwash one's hands and/or face (US)
Finnish peseytyä, huuhtoutua
- peseytyäwash one's hands and/or face (US)
- huuhtoutuabe carried on to land by water
French se laver, se laver les mains
- se laverwash one's hands and/or face (US)
- se laver les mainswash one's hands and/or face (US)
German sich waschen, Hände waschen
- sich waschenwash one's hands and/or face (US)
- Hände waschenwash one's hands and/or face (US)
- aufspülenbe carried on to land by water
Hungarian mosakszik, megmosakszik
- mosakszikwash one's hands and/or face (US)
- megmosakszikwash one's hands and/or face (US)
- kezet moswash one's hands and/or face (US)
- bemosakszikwash one's hands and/or face (US)
- kimosof water, to carry (an object) to land
- partra mosof water, to carry (an object) to land
- partra vetof water, to carry (an object) to land
Irish anspülen
- anspülenbe carried on to land by water
Italian spiaggiare
- spiaggiarebe carried on to land by water
Japanese 洗面する, 手を洗う
- 洗面する (senmen suru)wash one's hands and/or face (US)
- 手を洗う (te o arau)wash one's hands and/or face (US)
- 打ち上げる (uchiageru)of water, to carry (an object) to land
Māori hōiriiri
- hōiriiribe carried on to land by water
Polish zmywać, pozmywać
- zmywaćclean utensils, dishes, etc.
- pozmywaćclean utensils, dishes, etc.
- myć ręcewash one's hands and/or face (US)
- umyć ręcewash one's hands and/or face (US)
- wyrzucać na brzegof water, to carry (an object) to land
- wyrzucić na brzegof water, to carry (an object) to land
- zostać wyrzuconym na brzegbe carried on to land by water
Russian умыва́ться, умы́ться
- умыва́ться (umyvátʹsja)wash one's hands and/or face (US)
- умы́ться (umýtʹsja)wash one's hands and/or face (US)
- мыть ру́ки impf помы́ть ру́ки (mytʹ rúki)wash one's hands and/or face (US)
- быть вы́несенным на бе́рег (bytʹ výnesennym na béreg)be carried on to land by water
- быть приби́тым к бе́регу (bytʹ pribítym k béregu)be carried on to land by water
Spanish ser arrastrado por la corriente, ser traído por la corriente
- ser arrastrado por la corrientebe carried on to land by water
- ser traído por la corrientebe carried on to land by water
Swedish tvätta händerna, ansiktet
- tvätta händernawash one's hands and/or face (US)
- ansiktetwash one's hands and/or face (US)
- spola uppbe carried on to land by water
Cite this entry
wash up. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wash%20up
“wash up.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wash%20up. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “wash up,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wash%20up.
Source: wash up on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.