whitewash
/ˈʍaɪtˌwɑʃ/ verb C2- To paint (a building, a wall, etc.) a bright white with whitewash. · Near-synonym: limewash (often coinstantial)· The houses looked very bright after they had whitewashed the whole neighbourhood.
- To distort or give a misleading account of (history, a narrative, etc.) by discounting the participation of people of colour and focusing on white people.
- To cast a white actor in a role for a person of colour in (a film, television programme, etc.).
- To make over (someone of colour) so that they appear more white, for example, by applying lightening makeup to their skin or digitally manipulating an image of them.
- To cover or coat (something) with a white substance, as if with whitewash (noun sense 1); also, to light up (something) with white light.
- To clear (someone's) debts, especially through a declaration of bankruptcy by a court; also, to clear or write off (a debt).
- To hide (someone's) mistakes, or to create an appearance of honesty, propriety, etc., for (someone); also, to intentionally hide or overlook (mistakes, unfavourable facts, wrongdoing, etc.).
- To achieve a complete victory or series of victories over (an opponent) without suffering any losses; also, to achieve a victory or series of victories over (an opponent) by a very large margin. · Australia whitewashed the West Indies 3–0.
He/she/it whitewashes · Past whitewashed · Past participle whitewashed · -ing form whitewashing
Verb forms
- Base form
- whitewash
- He/she/it
- whitewashes
- Past
- whitewashed
- Past participle
- whitewashed
- -ing form
- whitewashing
From the library
It was familiar ground to me, and I needed no guiding as we ascended the bleak stone staircase and made our way down the long corridor with its vista of whitewashed wall and dun-coloured doors.
And there weren’t any at all about the asylum, only a few poor weeny-teeny things out in front with little whitewashed cagey things about them.
The whitewashed walls were so painfully bare and staring that she thought they must ache over their own bareness.
The room was whitewashed, as is the custom in prisons, but it looked quite brilliant to a prisoner, though a stove, a bed, a chair, and a table formed the whole of its sumptuous furniture.
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