wash out of

wash (someone or something) out of (something or some place)

1. To wash some material in order to rid it of some debris, odor, stain, etc. I'm trying to wash this chocolate stain out of my shirt, but it's not working. We need to wash all this gunk out of the carpets before Mom and Dad get home!

2. To cause something, such as a color or design, to be removed or faded in some material. Prolonged exposure to sunlight had washed the logo out of the storefront sign. Make sure you wash this sweater by hand, or you'll wash the colors out of it.

3. To cause or force someone to leave or exit something or some place due to flooding. The storm had washed us out of camp on the very first night. Heavy flooding washed thousands of people out of their homes along the valley.

4. To cause, compel, or force someone to leave some program, institution, or organization. The notoriously difficult course has washed countless students out of the master's program. They seemed hell-bent on washing me out of the Marine Corps because of the incident.

See also: of, out, wash

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

wash someone out of something

 and wash someone out

to make it necessary for a person to leave a place or program; to wash someone up. (See also wash someone out.) That professor just loves to wash students out of the course. The professor washed out over half the class.

See also: of, out, wash

wash something out of something

 and wash something out

to clean some kind of dirt from something. You had better wash all the stains out of the clothing before you put it in the dryer. You will want to wash out the dirt.

See also: of, out, wash

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.