BACKWASH

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does backwash mean? 

• BACKWASH (noun)
  The noun BACKWASH has 3 senses:

1. the flow of air that is driven backwards by an aircraft propeller

2. the consequences of an event (especially a catastrophic event)

3. the wave that spreads behind a boat as it moves forward

  Familiarity information: BACKWASH used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• BACKWASH (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The flow of air that is driven backwards by an aircraft propeller

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural phenomena

Synonyms:

airstream; backwash; race; slipstream; wash

Hypernyms ("backwash" is a kind of...):

flow (any uninterrupted stream or discharge)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The consequences of an event (especially a catastrophic event)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural phenomena

Synonyms:

aftermath; backwash; wake

Context example:

in the wake of the accident no one knew how many had been injured

Hypernyms ("backwash" is a kind of...):

consequence; effect; event; issue; outcome; result; upshot (a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon)

Sense 3

Meaning:

The wave that spreads behind a boat as it moves forward

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Synonyms:

backwash; wake

Context example:

the motorboat's wake capsized the canoe

Hypernyms ("backwash" is a kind of...):

moving ridge; wave (one of a series of ridges that moves across the surface of a liquid (especially across a large body of water))