Meaning

(uncountable) A mixture of a powdered mineral substance (often slaked lime (containing calcium hydroxide), chalk (calcium carbonate), or both) and water which is used for painting surfaces such as fences and walls bright white..

Definitions by Sense

1. (uncountable) A mixture of a powdered mineral substance (often slaked lime (containing calcium hydroxide), chalk (calcium carbonate), or both) and water which is used for painting surfaces such as fences and walls bright white.
2. A thing used to hide mistakes, or to create an appearance of honesty, propriety, etc.; also (often politics), an act of hiding mistakes or creating an appearance of honesty, propriety, etc.; especially, a campaign, investigation, etc., which intentionally hides or overlooks unfavourable facts.
3. An act of clearing a person's debts, especially through a declaration of bankruptcy by a court.
4. A complete victory or series of victories without suffering any losses; a clean sweep; also, a victory or series of victories by a very large margin.
5. (uncountable, cooking) The most basic type of thickening agent, consisting of flour blended with water to make a paste.
6. (countable, cosmetics, historical) A preparation for making the skin look lighter.
7. Any of several medicinal preparations for treating skin diseases consisting of a mixture of a metallic compound (such as one of lead, sulfur, or zinc) and water.
8. White wine, especially Madeira or sherry, drunk after dinner or after taking claret and port; (countable) a glass of such wine.

Example Sentences

For walls plaster gave a smooth white surface; or if it was not sufficiently white, or had become discoloured, it could be brightened up with a coat of whitewash or paint.

“She has developed an arrogance of power,” Mr. Richardson said by telephone during a layover in Tokyo on his way back to New Mexico from Myanmar. “I’ve known her a long time and am fond of her, but she basically is unwilling to listen to bad news, and I don’t want to be part of a whitewash.”

A report by the City watchdog into the scandal at Royal Bank of Scotland’s turnaround unit has been described as a whitewash after the regulator confirmed it would not punish the bank for mistreating business customers following the financial crash.

For the first time in a long time, Australia are being threatened with the prospect of a 5-0 whitewash

I have heard a whole Sermon against a White-wash.

The bottles, however, were port bottles, but contained mushroom ketchup; and we can only say with regard to the 15s. sherry, that it would have made an admirable "whitewash," as Sheridan's glass is still sometimes called, […]

Sercial was also used as a sort of white-wash after the Port at dinner, those were the days when people had time to drink both Port and a White wash.

The houses looked very bright after they had whitewashed the whole neighbourhood.

Word Forms

• whitewashes
• whitewashing
• whitewashed

Synonyms for white wash

Antonyms for white wash

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When Should You Use White wash?

Use white wash when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

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