handwashing
handwashing noun: the washing of one's hands. Also the present participle and gerund of handwash.
Noun
handwashing (countable and uncountable, plural handwashings)
- The washing of one's hands.
- The mirror comes alive with images, guiding you through the steps of handwashing: turn on the taps, lather your hands with soap, rinse your hands, turn off the taps, dry your hands.2009 February 7, Judy Steed, “Devices that let ability shine through”, in Toronto Star
- The benefits of increased hygiene as a result of Covid-19 could stretch even further ahead. Most schools are insisting on regular hand washing, and are encouraging children to rub soap into their hands for 20 seconds or more, before rinsing it off.2020 October 9, Linda Geddes, “Non-Covid infectious disease cases down in England, data suggests”, in The Guardian
- Synonyms:
- hand wash
Also used as
handwashing is also the present participle and gerund of handwash.
handwashing meaning in Vietnamese
handwashing in Vietnamese
- washing of one's hands
- sự rửa tay
Synonyms of handwashing
Forms of handwashing
| plural | handwashings |
|---|---|
| alternative form | hand washing |
| alternative form | hand-washing |
Origin of handwashing
From hand + washing.
From handwash + -ing.
Questions about handwashing
- What does handwashing mean?
- Handwashing means the washing of one's hands.
- What is handwashing in Vietnamese?
- Handwashing in Vietnamese is sự rửa tay. See Handwashing meaning in Vietnamese.
- What part of speech is handwashing?
- Handwashing is a noun.
- What is the plural of handwashing?
- The plural of handwashing is handwashings.
Words near handwashing in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: handwashing (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:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-handwashing.wav.
Cite this entry: “handwashing.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/handwashing. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.