Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

whitewash

/ˈʍaɪtˌwɑʃ/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.81 in modern English

Syllables
white-wash
IPA
/ˈʍaɪtˌwɑʃ/
21
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

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.

Uncountable

noun

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.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

An act of clearing a person's debts, especially through a declaration of bankruptcy by a court.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

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.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

The most basic type of thickening agent, consisting of flour blended with water to make a paste.

Uncountable

noun

A preparation for making the skin look lighter.

Countable

noun

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.

Countable; Obsolete

noun

White wine, especially Madeira or sherry, drunk after dinner or after taking claret and port; (countable) a glass of such wine.

Obsolete; Slang; Uncountable

Example Sentences

Etymology

The noun is derived from white (adjective) + wash (noun). Noun sense 5.1 (“medicinal preparation for treating skin diseases”) is a calque of New Latin lōtiō alba (literally “white wash”). The verb is derived partly from white (adjective) + wash (verb), and partly from the noun.

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈʍaɪtˌwɑʃ/

Usage

Inflected Forms

whitewashes (plural) whitewashes (present, singular) whitewashing (participle, present) whitewashed (participle, past) whitewashed (past)

Derived Forms

whitewashed bluewash brownwash cloudwash greenwash openwash pinkwash purplewash whitewasher whitewashing

Phrases

whitewash gum -wash

Frequently Paired Words

colourwash eyewash

Synonyms

limewash cover up gloss over paper over skunk bleach sleek over hush up

Antonyms

blackwash

Questions

How do you pronounce whitewash?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈʍaɪtˌwɑʃ/.
What does whitewash mean?
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.
Where does whitewash come from?
The noun is derived from white (adjective) + wash (noun). Noun sense 5.1 (“medicinal preparation for treating skin diseases”) is a calque of New Latin lōtiō alba (literally “white wash”). The verb is derived partly from white (adjective) + wash (verb), and partly from the noun.

How to pronounce whitewash

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “whitewash”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈʍaɪtˌwɑʃ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “whitewash”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “whitewash” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.