wash down
phrasal verb·1 sense·particle down
Meanings
Help swallow food by drinking liquid
Why “down”? Food, drink, or medicine goes down the throat into the body.
“He washed the pill down with water.”
“She washed the bread down with tea.”
Don't confuse with
Wash down means help swallow food by drinking liquid. Wash up means wash dishes after a meal.
Test yourself
“He washed the pill down with water.” What does it mean?
Nearby in the meaning map
Sink In connects verbs by particle pattern, contrast pairs, and shared base verbs.
wash up
A contrast learners often mix up
Wash dishes after a meal
drink down
Same down pattern: eat or drink
Drink something quickly in one go
get down
Same down pattern: eat or drink
Descend or lower yourself; Depress someone emotionally; Manage to swallow food; Capture in writing or recording; Swallow food or drink, especially with difficulty; Begin to focus seriously on a task
wolf down
Same down pattern: eat or drink
Eat food very quickly and greedily
wash away
Same base verb: wash
Carry off by water
wash off
Same base verb: wash
Remove with water
wash over
Same base verb: wash
Sweep across as a wave does
Practice “wash down” in Sink In
Drill this and 600+ phrasal verbs with spaced repetition, organised by particle.