wash up

British  

verb

1. to wash (dishes, cutlery, etc) after a meal

2. (intr) to wash one's face and hands

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noun

1. the end, outcome of a process

   in the washup, three candidates were elected

wash up Idioms  

1. Wash one's hands and face, as in It's time to wash up for dinner . [First half of 1900s] Also see clean up , def. 2.

2. Clean the utensils after a meal, as in I'll cook dinner if you promise to wash up . [Mid-1700s] Also see do the dishes .

3. Bring about the end or ruin of; finish. This usage is often used put in the passive, be washed up , as in She's all washed up as a singer . [ Colloquial ; early 1900s]

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Example Sentences

This makes the precise consequences very difficult to predict, but this new wave of inflation from the Gulf will wash up on the shores of the rest of the globe, including here in the UK.

From BBC • Mar. 6, 2026

Detainees were being served food on paper clam-shell to-go boxes, rather than regular trays, a staffer said, because the facility lacked employees to wash up at the end of mealtimes.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 20, 2025

About 62,000 items wash up on the beach each year, much of it from the waterways in and around Glasgow, Scotland’s largest city.

From BBC • Feb. 2, 2025

If one oarfish landing on a beach is a sign of a disaster to come, how bad will it be if three wash up in quick succession?

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 21, 2024

Then I roll up my sleeves and wash up to the elbow before finally kicking off my sandals and running my feet through the stream of water.

From "Amina's Voice" by Hena Khan

Related Words

• bankrupt
• decrease
• diminish
• drain
• empty
• expend
• impoverish
• lessen
• reduce
• sap
• squander
• undermine
• use up
• weaken