eyewash

UK/ˈaɪ̯.wɒʃ/US/ˈaɪ̯.wɑʃ/

eyewash noun: the washing out of the eyes with copious solution (usually water alone) to quickly remove an irritant, as for example in laboratories and industrial plants; the washing solution itself.

Noun

eyewash (usually uncountable, plural eyewashes)

(countable, uncountable, usually) The washing out of the eyes with copious solution (usually water alone) to quickly remove an irritant, as for example in laboratories and industrial plants; the washing solution itself.
- an eyewash station on every floor of the building
- a bottle of eyewash
(countable, uncountable, usually) A soothing medicated lotion for the eyes.
(figuratively, slang, usually) Something deceptive and superficially pleasing but without accurate or genuine substance: camouflage; disguise; false front; pretense; nonsense.
- Near-synonyms: hogwash, whitewash, window dressing
- They argued over the menu. The fish was described as being 'Made From Flaky Tender Boneless Filets and the chicken as 'Delicious French Fried to a Golden Brown, Served Disjointed'. 'Eyewash,' said Bond, and they finally ordered scrambled eggs and bacon and sausages, a salad, and some of the...1954, Ian Fleming, “Allumeuse”, in Live and Let Die, London: Pan Books, published 1957, page 107
Synonyms:

hogwash, whitewash, window dressing

Verb

eyewash (third-person singular simple present eyewashes, present participle eyewashing, simple past and past participle eyewashed)

To fool with nonsense or flattery.
(intelligence) To keep information secret by sending false information to many people in one's own organization, and correct information to a select few.
- But others said that eyewashing was a standard security practice that had been in existence for decades.2016 January 31, “‘Eyewash’: How the CIA deceives its own workforce about operations”, in The New York Times

eyewash meaning in Tamil

eyewash in Tamil

ஏமாற்று, கண்துடைப்பு, கண்கழுவி

Examples of eyewash in a sentence

'Eyewash,' said Bond, and they finally ordered scrambled eggs and bacon and sausages, a salad, and some of the domestic Camembert that is one of the most welcome surprises on American menus.1954, Ian Fleming, “Allumeuse”, in Live and Let Die, London: Pan Books, published 1957, page 107:
It's all eyewash. […] He wouldn't hurt a fly, but he has to put up a front because his name's Poppet.1960, P. G. Wodehouse, chapter XI, in Jeeves in the Offing:
It is a reassuring patriotic myth; in short, for the historian, eyewash.1989, Richard Fletcher, The Quest for El Cid, Hutchinson, page 13:

Synonyms of eyewash

Forms of eyewash

Noun
plural	eyewashes
alternative form	eye wash
alternative form	eye-wash
Verb
third-person singular present	eyewashes
present participle	eyewashing
past participle	eyewashed
past	eyewashed

Origin of eyewash

From eye + wash. Compare typologically Russian глаз замы́лился (glaz zamýlilsja) (akin to мы́ло (mýlo), мыть (mytʹ)).

Questions about eyewash

What does eyewash mean?: Eyewash means the washing out of the eyes with copious solution (usually water alone) to quickly remove an irritant, as for example in laboratories and industrial plants; the washing solution itself.
What is eyewash in Tamil?: Eyewash in Tamil is ஏமாற்று, கண்துடைப்பு, கண்கழுவி. See Eyewash meaning in Tamil.
How do you use eyewash in a sentence?: 'Eyewash,' said Bond, and they finally ordered scrambled eggs and bacon and sausages, a salad, and some of the domestic Camembert that is one of the most welcome surprises on American menus.
What part of speech is eyewash?: Eyewash can be a noun or a verb.
How do you pronounce eyewash?: Eyewash is pronounced /ˈaɪ̯.wɒʃ/ (UK).
What is the plural of eyewash?: The plural of eyewash is eyewashes.

Words near eyewash in the dictionary

Adapted from Wiktionary: eyewash (page history and authors); eyewash (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: En-au-eyewash.ogg.

Cite this entry: “eyewash.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/eyewash. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.