washing

washing — noun

1. the task of cleaning clothing, sheets, towels, and other fabric items using wate

1.nounA2
Definition

the task of cleaning clothing, sheets, towels, and other fabric items using water and soap or detergent, often in a washing machine or by hand

Example

Manuela does the washing every Sunday morning before breakfast.

collocation: do the washing

Bao saved energy by doing his washing with cold water rather than hot.

collocation: do [possessive] washing

Common collocations
  • do the washing
  • do your washing
  • washing machine
  • washing powder
  • washing liquid
  • washing basket
  • hand washing
  • machine washing
Synonyms
  • laundry

    The standard term in American English; in British English 'laundry' can mean the items themselves or the room where washing is done

  • wash

    Less common as a noun for this sense; usually 'a wash' refers to one session of washing

  • cleaning

    Much broader in meaning — includes all types of cleaning, not just fabric items

Grammar Patterns

do + the + washing

washing + noun (washing machine, washing powder)

Usage Note

In American English, the word 'laundry' is more common than 'washing' for this sense. The phrase 'do the washing' is especially common in British English.

Common Mistakes

I need to do the washing of my car.
I need to wash my car.
'washing' as a noun refers only to cleaning fabric items, not vehicles, dishes, or other objects.
I did a washing yesterday.
I did the washing yesterday.
'washing' is uncountable and does not take the indefinite article 'a'.

2. items of clothing and household fabric that a person still needs to put in the m

2.nounA2
Definition

items of clothing and household fabric that a person still needs to put in the machine, is currently cleaning, or has taken out of the machine for drying or ironing

Example

Hari hung the washing on the line to dry in the summer sun.

collocation: hang the washing

Iris brought the dry washing inside before the evening dew settled on it.

Common collocations
  • hang the washing
  • bring in the washing
  • sort the washing
  • fold the washing
  • pile of washing
  • load of washing
  • basket of washing
  • wet washing
  • dry washing
  • dirty washing
  • clean washing
Synonyms
  • laundry

    The dominant term in American English for items to be washed; largely interchangeable in British English too

  • wash load

    Refers specifically to one batch of items being washed together, not to items already washed or waiting to be washed

Grammar Patterns

pile/load/basket + of + washing

the + washing + verb (hanging, drying)

Usage Note

Always uncountable — you cannot say 'a washing' to mean a single item. Use 'an item of washing' or 'a piece of washing' for individual articles. This sense corresponds to American English 'laundry'.

Common Mistakes

Can you bring in the washings?
Can you bring in the washing?
'washing' is always singular and uncountable, even when referring to many items.
I have three washings to fold.
I have three loads of washing to fold.
Use 'load of washing' or 'pile of washing' to quantify it.

washing — suffix

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words relate to making things clean, but they differ in scope and region. 'Washing' (noun sense 1) is specifically about cleaning fabric items — clothes, sheets, towels — and is the most common term in British English for the task itself. 'Laundry' covers the same activity and the items involved, and is the dominant term in American English; in Britain it more often refers to the room or the business of washing clothes commercially. 'Wash' as a noun ('a wash', 'the wash') can refer to one session of washing clothes, but is less common and can also mean the action of washing any object (a car wash, a hand wash). 'Cleaning' is far broader, covering all surfaces, rooms, dishes, and objects — using it where 'washing' is meant sounds unnatural. For learners: in everyday British conversation, say 'do the washing'; in American English, say 'do the laundry'.

washing ↗laundry ↗wash ↗cleaning

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • do the washing
  • do your washing
  • hang the washing
  • bring in the washing
  • sort the washing
  • fold the washing
  • a pile of washing
  • a load of washing

Etymology

Proto-GermanicOld EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

'Washing' comes from the Old English word 'wæscan', meaning to cleanse with water. This word traces back to the Proto-Germanic root '*watskan' (to wash), which is also the origin of German 'waschen' and Dutch 'wassen'. The noun form 'washing' — referring to the act or the items being washed — appeared in Middle English around the 1300s. The use of '-washing' as a suffix for deceptive practices began with 'whitewashing' (literal: painting walls white; figurative: covering up faults, from the 1700s), then expanded in the late 20th century: 'greenwashing' was coined in the 1980s by environmentalist Jay Westerveld, and new forms like 'pinkwashing' and 'sportswashing' have followed since.