Word.ws English Dictionary

washing one's mouth out

washing one's mouth out is the present participle and gerund of wash one's mouth out.

Meaning of wash one's mouth out

Verb

wash one's mouth out (third-person singular simple present washes one's mouth out, present participle washing one's mouth out, simple past and past participle washed one's mouth out)

  1. (figuratively, imperative, usually) To stop using bad language, or atone for doing so.
    • Wash out your mouth, your lies are gettin' rusty1970, “Funkier Than a Mosquito's Tweeter”, in Alline Bullock (lyrics), Workin’ Together, performed by Ike & Tina Turner
  2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see wash out, mouth.
    • The foreigners content themselves with washing their hands. The Moors wash their mouths out with soap also, blowing bubbles and gargling happily.1956, Encounter, volume 6, page 30

Questions about washing one's mouth out

What is washing one's mouth out the present participle and gerund of?
Washing one's mouth out is the present participle and gerund of wash one's mouth out.

Words near washing one's mouth out in the dictionary

  1. washing one's dirty laundry in public
  2. washing one's dirty linen in public
  3. washing one's elbows
  4. washing one's hands
  5. washing one's hands of
  6. washing one's mouth out
  7. washing oneself of
  8. washing out
  9. washing out one's mouth
  10. washing over
  11. washing powder

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: washing one's mouth out (page history and authors); wash one's mouth out (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.

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