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

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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

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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

Federal Reserve are all - to differing degrees - now facing a backwash from years of policy-driven but lucrative balance sheet expansion.

From Reuters • Oct. 27, 2022

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

From Washington Post • Jun. 23, 2021

In Washington and its fancy suburbs, even in Millsburg, that was OK, but Lark Creek was the backwash of fashion.

From "Bridge to Terabithia" by Katherine Paterson