Wash up meaning
Wash up means to wash the plates, cups and pans after a meal (UK). It can also mean to wash your face and hands (US).
wash something up
wash up · washed · washing
I’ll cook if you wash up.
Wash up meanings and examples
3 meanings, each with its own CEFR level. A level marked ~ is our estimate: Oxford and Cambridge give none for that meaning.
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1
Wash the plates, cups and pans after a meal (UK)
wash something up
- I’ll cook if you wash up.
- Have you washed up the pans yet?
- Leave the cups. I’ll wash them up later.
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2
Wash your face and hands (US)
wash up
- Go wash up before dinner, kids.
- I need to wash up after the garden work.
- Did you wash up? Your hands are still dirty.
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3
Be carried by water onto a beach or shore
wash up
- Lots of plastic washes up on this beach.
- A dead whale was washed up on the shore.
- Did anything interesting wash up after the storm?
Café orders
New friends
At the airport
Slova
Use wash up in real conversations
- Learn new words with picture cards
- Talk with Felix, an AI tutor, about the things you love
- Short lessons at your level, a few minutes a day
Is wash up separable?
In UK English, wash up often has no object: I’ll wash up. It can also take one: wash up the plates, wash the plates up, wash them up.
Wash up means different things in the UK (wash dishes) and US (wash your hands). The UK noun is the washing-up: Who’s doing the washing-up? Washed-up means no longer successful: a washed-up actor.
Verb tenses for wash up
| Present | I wash up · she washes up |
|---|---|
| Past | washed up |
| Present perfect | have washed up |
| -ing form | washing up |
Common mistakes with wash up
What learners often say, and what to say instead.
Wrong: I washed up my hands before lunch.
Right: I washed my hands before lunch.
In UK English, wash up is for dishes. For hands, just say wash.
Wrong: Who is doing the wash up tonight?
Right: Who is doing the washing-up tonight?
The UK noun is the washing-up.
Wrong: I washed-up all the cups.
Right: I washed up all the cups.
The verb has no hyphen. Only the noun washing-up and the adjective washed-up do.
Synonyms and opposites of wash up
Words close to it, and words that mean the opposite.
Similar
- do the dishesthe usual phrase in US English
- do the washing-upUK; the same as wash up
- clean upmake a place clean after an activity
Opposite
- dirtymake something not clean
- mess upmake a place untidy or dirty
Wash up quiz
Three quick questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why.
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1In the UK: You cooked, so I’ll ___.
In UK English, wash up means wash the dishes.
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2Choose the right sentence.
The UK noun is the washing-up.
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3An American mum says, “Go wash up before dinner.” What should the kids do?
In US English, wash up usually means wash your hands and face.
Find your level
The phrasal verbs test adapts as you answer, from A2 to C1, and shows which ones you miss.
- get upA1get out of bed after you sleep
- take upB1start a new hobby or activity
- put upB1fix something to a wall, or raise something higher
- look upA2find information in a dictionary, a book or online
- go upB1become higher, like a price, a number or a temperature
- come upB2be mentioned or talked about
- give upB1stop doing or having something, often a habit
- break upB1end a romantic relationship
Wash up FAQ
Questions people ask about wash up.
Does wash up mean wash dishes or wash hands?
In UK English it means wash dishes. In US English it usually means wash your hands and face. Context helps.
What is the washing-up?
In UK English, the washing-up is the dirty plates and pans, or the job of washing them. Washing-up liquid is dish soap.
What does washed-up mean?
Washed-up describes someone who was successful in the past but not now: a washed-up singer. It is negative.
Use wash up in real conversations
In Slova you learn new words with picture cards, then use them when you talk about the things you love. A few minutes a day, at your level.