Wash Hands: Definition, Examples, and Tips

Meaning 1：Wash hands (Wash Hands)

Wash Hands 🔊

/wɒʃ hændz/

v. phr.

To clean your hands with water and soap (or hand sanitizer) to remove dirt and germs.

Wash hands 🔊

➕

/wɒʃ hændz/

v. phr.

To clean your hands with water and soap or hand sanitizer to remove dirt and germs, typically for hygiene purposes.

📁 Category：Diet & Health 🔖 Level：Beginner

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

Wash from Old English 'wascan' meaning to cleanse; hands from Old English 'hand', referring to the body part.

💡 Mnemonic

Imagine a surgeon scrubbing before surgery: 'Wash hands' saves lives.

📖 Example

Don't forget to wash your hands before you start eating your dinner. 🔊 Don't forget to wash your hands before you start eating your dinner.

🔗 Collocations

wash hands with soap – wash hands with soap

wash hands thoroughly – wash hands thoroughly

wash hands before meals – wash hands before meals

🔄 Synonyms

clean hands (v. phr.) – To remove dirt from your hands, often using water and soap.

sanitize hands (v. phr.) – To disinfect hands using an alcohol-based hand rub, killing germs.

🚫 Antonyms

dirty hands (n. phr.) – Hands that have dirt or germs on them; not clean.

🌱 Derivatives

handwashing (n.) – The act of cleaning one's hands.

hand sanitizer (n.) – A liquid or gel used to disinfect hands without water.

📖 Cultural Story

In 1847, Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis discovered that handwashing with chlorinated lime drastically reduced childbed fever deaths in Vienna hospitals, establishing a cornerstone of modern hygiene.