backwash

American  

[bak-wosh, -wawsh] / ˈbækˌwɒʃ, -ˌwɔʃ /

noun

1. Nautical. water thrown backward by the motion of oars, propellers, paddle wheels, etc.

2. Aeronautics. the portion of the wash of an aircraft that flows to the rear, usually created by the power plant.

3. a condition, usually undesirable, that continues long after the event which caused it.

   Synonyms:

   upshot, result, consequence, aftermath

---

verb (used with object)

1. to affect, as by hitting, rocking, or splashing, with a backwash.

   a powerful cutter backwashing the skiers.

2. to clean out (a clogged filter) by reversing the flow of fluid.

   Backwash the swimming pool's filters regularly.

backwash British  

/ ˈbækˌwɒʃ /

noun

1. a sucking movement of water, such as that of retreating waves Compare swash

2. water washed backwards by the motion of oars or other propelling devices

3. the backward flow of air set up by an aircraft's engines

4. a condition resulting from a previous event; repercussion

---

verb

1. (tr) to remove oil from (combed wool)

Other Word Forms

• backwasher noun

Etymology

Origin of backwash

First recorded in 1765–75; back ² + wash

Example Sentences

The Royal Family has had a difficult start to 2024 - uncertain in the face of health problems and surrounded by a backwash of rumour and speculation.

From BBC • Mar. 2, 2024

So the absence of my baseball weekend money is a piddly backwash in the tide of wealth that’s engulfing Florida.

From Seattle Times • May 6, 2023

"It's still the backwash of the freeze-in... the crude oil number implies that the refineries are not up and running," said Bob Yawger, director of energy futures at Mizuho in New York.

From Reuters • Jan. 11, 2023

“This generation does not intend to founder in the backwash of the coming age of space,” Kennedy declared.

From Washington Post • Jun. 23, 2021

The boats rolled and pitched in the violent, sucking backwash from the cliffs.

From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong