If you wash something, especially food, down with a drink, you drink the drink after eating the food, especially to make the food easier to swallow or digest.
He took two aspirin immediately and washed them down with three cups of water. [VERB noun PARTICLE]
...a massive cheese sandwich washed down by a glass of water. [VERB-ed PARTICLE]
[Also VERBPARTICLE noun]
2. phrasal verb
If you wash down an object, you wash it all, from top to bottom.
The prisoner started to wash down the walls of his cell. [VERBPARTICLE noun]
[Also VERB noun PARTICLE]
See full dictionary entry for wash
wash down in British English
verb(tr, adverb)
1.
to wash completely, esp from top to bottom
2.
to take drink with or after (food or another drink)
nounwashdown
3.
the act of washing (oneself or something) down
I just had a quick washdown
wash down in American English
1.
to clean by washing, esp. with a stream of water
2.
to follow (food, a drink of whiskey, etc.) with a drink, as of water
See full dictionary entry for wash
Examples of 'wash down' in a sentence
wash down
They wash down the choppers with a hose, but they can't get rid of the stench.
Adair, Tom (Intro) THREE KINDS OF KISSING - SCOTTISH SHORT STORIES
Baxter accepted a teaspoonful of sherry to wash down another antacid tablet and Short declined.
Moore, Margaret FORESTS OF THE NIGHT
His cider was gone in a flash, so he ordered a second one to wash down a couple of Scotch eggs.
Maupin, Armistead BABYCAKES (1989)
Chinese translation of 'wash down'
wash down
vt
(with wine, lager etc)[food]吞下 (tūnxià)
(= clean)[wall, path]冲(沖)洗 (chōngxǐ)
See wash
Nearby words of
wash down
"was it where I said?" — "yes, it was/no, it wasn't"