whitewash

[hwahyt-wosh, -wawsh, wahyt-] /ˈʰwaɪtˌwɒʃ, -ˌwɔʃ, ˈwaɪt-/
noun
1.
a composition, as of lime and water or of whiting, size, and water, used for whitening walls, woodwork, etc.
2.
anything, as deceptive words or actions, used to cover up or gloss over faults, errors, or wrongdoings, or absolve a wrongdoer from blame.
3.
Sports Informal. a defeat in which the loser fails to score.
verb (used with object)
4.
to whiten with whitewash.
5.
to cover up or gloss over the faults or errors of; absolve from blame.
6.
Sports Informal. to defeat by keeping the opponent from scoring:
The home team whitewashed the visitors eight to nothing.
Origin
1585-95; white + wash
Related forms
whitewasher, noun
unwhitewashed, adjective
Synonyms
5. excuse, vindicate, exonerate.
Examples from the web for whitewash
  • To protect them, apply whitewash or diluted white latex paint to exposed portions of main scaffold branches.
  • To have left it out would have been seen as another whitewash, and would have shown bias.
  • Dealers would whitewash their windows so that the appearance of the new cars could be kept secret until the appointed day.
  • We don't judge scientists by what the latest whitewash committee says about them.
  • Lawyers feared the agency would come up with a whitewash that companies would use in their defense.
  • That's plain speculation to whitewash a case of deliberate state persecution.
  • Instead they have been trying to whitewash their mistakes.
  • Generations of whitewash were peeling from the mud-brick walls.
  • As wartime dramas go, this one isn't a whitewash or a fairy tale.
  • Also, look for the whitewash of droppings on branches and rocks, and owl pellets on the ground.
British Dictionary definitions for whitewash

whitewash

/ˈwaɪtˌwɒʃ/
noun
1.
a substance used for whitening walls and other surfaces, consisting of a suspension of lime or whiting in water, often with other substances, such as size, added
2.
(informal) deceptive or specious words or actions intended to conceal defects, gloss over failings, etc
3.
(informal) a defeat in a sporting contest in which the loser is beaten in every match, game, etc in a series: they face the prospect of a whitewash in the five-test series
verb (transitive)
4.
to cover or whiten with whitewash
5.
(informal) to conceal, gloss over, or suppress
6.
(informal) to defeat (an opponent or opposing team) by winning every match in a series
Derived Forms
whitewasher, noun
Word Origin and History for whitewash
v.

1590s, "to wash a building surface with white liquid," from white + wash. Figurative sense of "to cover up, conceal" is attested from 1762. Related: Whitewashed; whitewashing. The noun is recorded from 1690s.

Slang definitions & phrases for whitewash

whitewash

noun

: Several Republican senators reported that the report was a ''whitewash'' of McCarthy's charges

verb
  1. To win decisively, esp not permitting the opponent to score; skunk (1851+)
  2. To make something unsavory, damaging, etc, seem to be legitimate and acceptable, usually by falsification or concealment; decontaminate someone's actions or reputation (1762+)