washout

Plural: washouts

Noun

• An erosion of earth by water; a complete failure.
• the channel or break produced by erosion of relatively soft soil by water
  • "it was several days after the storm before they could repair the washout and open the road"
• the erosive process of washing away soil or gravel by water (as from a roadway)
  • "from the house they watched the washout of their newly seeded lawn by the water"
• someone who is unsuccessful
• An act of washing or cleaning the inside of something.
• An appliance designed to wash out the inside of something.
• The erosion of a relatively soft surface by a sudden gush of water; also, a channel produced by this action.
• The erosion of a relatively soft surface by a sudden gush of water; also, a channel produced by this action.
• A breach in a railway or road caused by flooding.
• A sporting fixture or other event that cannot be completed because of rain.
• An overwhelming victory; a landslide.
• A total failure; a disappointment.
• An unsuccessful person.
• The aerodynamic effect of a small twist in the shape of an aircraft wing.
• A destroyed aeroplane.
• A trainee who drops out of a training programme.
• A period between clinical treatments in which any medication delivered as the first treatment is allowed to be eliminated from a person's body before the second treatment begins.
• The cleaning of matter from a physiological system using a fluid; also, the fluid used for such cleaning; or the matter cleaned out from the system.
• The action whereby falling rainwater cleans particles from the air.
• A place in a mine where ore has been washed away by a flow of water.

Examples

• a bladder washout
• As an actor he was a complete washout, so he went back to accounting.
• His attempted bingo turned into a complete washout when challenged.
• The cistern was fitted with washouts and air-valves.

Synonyms

dud, flop, wash, rainout, washaway