awash

¹ American  

[uh-wosh, uh-wawsh] / əˈwɒʃ, əˈwɔʃ /

adjective

1. Nautical.

   1. just level with or scarcely above the surface of the water, so that waves break over the top.

   2. overflowing with water, as the upper deck of a ship in a heavy sea.

2. covered with water.

3. washing about; tossed about by the waves.

4. covered, filled, or crowded.

   streets awash with shoppers; a garden awash in brilliant colors.

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Awash ² American  

[ah-wahsh] / ˈɑ wɑʃ /

Also Hawash

noun

1. a river in E Ethiopia, flowing NE through the Great Rift Valley to near the Djibouti border. 500 miles (805 km) long.

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awash British  

/ əˈwɒʃ /

adverb

1. at a level even with the surface of the sea

2. washed over by the waves

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Etymology

Origin of awash

First recorded in 1825–35; a- ¹ + wash

Example Sentences

Social media is awash in content about the arcane: how-tos for spellcasting, psychics claiming to foretell the future and endless posts about casting out demons.

From Salon • Apr. 1, 2026

With that gone, sales could fall 50% in 2026, leaving the industry awash in unused EV capacity.

From Barron's • Mar. 12, 2026

In a turbulent market awash in a new class of AI fears, though, that’s no longer enough.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 26, 2026

The audience rehashed its hunches, they circled potential suspects, they stared at a static image of a horrific crime scene, awash in twinkling moonlight.

From Slate • Feb. 23, 2026

In every room, save Radar’s, their home was awash in black Santadom—plaster and plastic and marble and clay and wood and resin and cloth.

From "Paper Towns" by John Green

Related Words

• afloat
• flooded
• inundated