wash down

verb

washed down; washing down; washes down

transitive verb

1

: to move or carry downward by action of a liquid

especially : to facilitate the passage of (food) down the gullet with accompanying swallows of liquid

pizza washed down with beer

2

: to wash the whole length or extent of

washed down and scrubbed the front porch

Examples of wash down in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The throng of people waiting to wash down a mountain of corned beef on rye with a Dr. Brown’s soda was packed with city residents and tourists. —Ed Shanahan, New York Times, 1 Jan. 2025

All of this and more can be washed down with Mrs. Claus’s milk and cookies. —Perri Ormont Blumberg Fox News, Fox News, 26 Dec. 2024

By Tuesday after the Saturday night event, by 5 pm the facility is being washed down with pressure washers and water trucks. —Maury Brown, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024

One deflating note: Almost all the litter and other foul substances that end up in the lake wash down from the lawns, streets and sidewalks of the city, not a result of direct pollution. —Michael Barnes, Austin American-Statesman, 12 Aug. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1600, in the meaning defined at sense 1