wash down
Britishverb
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to wash completely, esp from top to bottom
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to take drink with or after (food or another drink)
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Clean by washing from top to bottom, as in He always washes down the walls before painting . [Second half of 1800s]
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Drink a liquid after eating food or taking medicine, as in He washed down the pills with a glass of water . [c. 1600]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
She added that it was common practice for utilities to wash down equipment after a fire before the system was reenergized.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 22, 2025
Someone got the timing wrong Sunday at the oldest Grand Slam tournament, where the bubbly helps wash down the strawberries and cream.
From Washington Times • Jul. 9, 2023
Diners at a brewpub in this company town can wash down a Reactor Core pizza with a Plutonium Porter.
From New York Times • Sep. 10, 2022
The years-long drought in most of the state means burn scars remain intact — though a heavy rain could wash down years of debris.
From Salon • Sep. 29, 2021
The Wall would be flowing off to the south, the melting ice mingling with warm rain to wash down in sheets and rivers.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
