whitewash

Meaning

Noun

1. A lime and water mixture for painting walls and fences bright white.
2. A complete victory or series of victories without suffering any losses; a clean sweep.
3. A campaign to paper over unfavorable elements; (everyday life) pretense.
4. The most basic type of thickening agent, flour blended with water to make a paste.
5. (obsolete) Any liquid composition for whitening something, such as a wash for making the skin fair.
6. (obsolete,slang) A glass of sherry as a finale, after drinking port and claret.

Verb

1. To paint over with a lime and water mixture so as to brighten up a wall or fence.
2. To cover over errors or bad actions.
3. To repay the financial debts of (another person).
4. (obsolete,slang) To prevent a team from scoring any runs.
5. (slang) In various games, to defeat (an opponent) so that they fail to score, or to reach a certain point in the game; to skunk.
6. To make over (a person or character, a group, an event, etc) so that it is or seems more white, for example by applying makeup to a person, or by discounting the participation of people of color in an event and focusing on only white participation.

Synonyms

whiten

lime

bleach

whiting

gloss over

paint

limewash

hush up

extenuate

plaster

cover up

ceruse

sleek over

deliver

disencumber

disengage

dispense

emancipate

enfranchise

exempt

exonerate

face powder

flour

free

🆓

let off

liberate

limewater

make up

manumit

mask

😷

mortar

powder

redeem

release

relieve

remit

rescue

set free

slaughter

smooth over

spell

unblock

unchain

uncork

unfreeze

wash

🧽

let go of

lime water

make white

paint white

going undefeated

losing without scoring a point

being shut out

lime wash

absolve

be white snow

acquit

affranchise

assoil

calcify

calcimine

calcinate

clear

conceal

cornmeal

daub

decontrol

decorate

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈwaɪt.wɒʃ/

Etymology

From white + wash.