1 B1 neutral
For water (e.g. floods, rain, tides) to carry something away or destroy it completely.
"The heavy rains washed away the footpath near the river."
separable
wash away
B1 neutral separable transitive
For water or a similar force to remove, destroy, or carry something away completely.
In plain English
Water removes or destroys something completely, carrying it away.
What does "wash away" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B2 idiomatic neutral
(Figurative) To completely remove a feeling, memory, or negative experience.
"She hoped that time would wash away the painful memories."
“
And can it be that in a world so full and busy the loss of one creature makes a void in any heart, so wide and deep that nothing but the width and depth of eternity can fill it up?
separable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
For water to move something away.
Actually means
Water removes or destroys something completely, carrying it away.
Usage tip
Used literally for floods, rain, and tides destroying or removing things. Also used figuratively to mean removing feelings like guilt, sadness, or sin. Common in religious and emotional language.
Words that pair with "wash away"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
flood rain guilt tears bridge sins soil memory
How to conjugate "wash away"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
wash away
I/you/we/they
3rd person
washes away
he/she/it
Past simple
washed away
yesterday
Past participle
washed away
have + pp
-ing form
washing away
continuous
Hear "wash away" in the wild
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Other ways to say "wash away"
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Keep exploring
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