1 A2 neutral
(British English) To wash the dishes, pots, and pans after a meal.
"Whose turn is it to wash up tonight?"
separable
wash up
A2 neutral separable transitive/intransitive
To wash the dishes after a meal (British English), or to wash one's hands and face (American English), or for something to be carried by water onto a shore.
In plain English
Clean the plates and cups after eating (British), or wash your hands and face (American), or be found on a beach after floating in.
What does "wash up" mean?
4 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 A2 neutral
(American English) To wash one's hands and face, typically before eating.
"Go wash up before dinner, kids!"
inseparable
3 B1 neutral
For an object, body, or debris to be carried by water and deposited on a shore or riverbank.
"A large amount of plastic waste had washed up on the beach overnight."
inseparable
4 B2 idiomatic informal
(Informal, adjective: washed-up) Describing a person whose career or success is over; finished.
"After the scandal, the critics declared him a washed-up actor."
inseparable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To wash in an upward direction.
Actually means
Clean the plates and cups after eating (British), or wash your hands and face (American), or be found on a beach after floating in.
Usage tip
IMPORTANT regional difference: in British English, 'wash up' = wash the dishes. In American English, 'wash up' = wash one's hands/face before a meal. This is a very common source of confusion. The 'washed up' adjective meaning a failed or finished career (a washed-up actor) is also very widely used.
Words that pair with "wash up"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
dishes plates hands body shore beach debris
How to conjugate "wash up"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
wash up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
washes up
he/she/it
Past simple
washed up
yesterday
Past participle
washed up
have + pp
-ing form
washing up
continuous
Hear "wash up" in the wild
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Other ways to say "wash up"
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