white·wash
ˈ(h)wīt-ˌwȯsh 
-ˌwäsh
whitewashed; whitewashing; whitewashes
1
: to whiten with whitewash
a freshly whitewashed wall
a row of whitewashed cottages
"Does a boy get a chance to whitewash a fence every day?"—
Mark Twain
Mark Twain2
a
: to gloss over or cover up (something, such as a record of criminal behavior)
refused to whitewash the scandal
In the years following the Nuremberg trials, there was an increasingly concerted effort to whitewash the record of the Wehrmacht, the armed forces of the Third Reich.—Rob Zacny
Rob Zacny
b
: to exonerate (someone) by means of a perfunctory investigation or through biased presentation of data
… seemed to be trying to tell the full story without trying to whitewash the dictator or conceal his atrocities.—Ronald Hingley
Ronald Hingley3
informal
: to hold (an opponent) scoreless in a game or contest
He stopped 38 shots to shut out the Oilers on Feb. 9; 39 in blanking the Rangers on Nov. 12; and 45 in whitewashing the Avalanche on Oct. 30.—Austin Murphy
Austin Murphy4
: to alter (something) in a way that favors, features, or caters to white people: such as
a
: to portray (the past) in a way that increases the prominence, relevance, or impact of white people and minimizes or misrepresents that of nonwhite people
… touches obliquely on Jones' assertion that the mayor and other white city leaders want to "whitewash" the telling of our nation's civil rights struggles.—Jeff Gauger
Jeff Gauger
b
: to alter (an original story) by casting a white performer in a role based on a nonwhite person or fictional character
It was important to Jenny Han, author of the YA books To All the Boys I've Loved Before, that the film adaption would keep one key detail: that the lead character, Lara Jean, was Asian-American. In a new essay …, Han revealed that nearly every production company interested in adapting her best-selling book into a movie asked to whitewash it.—Hunter Harris
Hunter HarrisThe Hollywood screenwriter Max Landis has denied defending the casting of Scarlett Johansson in a "whitewashed" remake of the classic Japanese anime Ghost in the Shell.—Ben Child
Ben Child
whitewasher
noun
whitewashing
noun
a wall that requires whitewashing
There shall be no whitewashing of Lizzie Eustace. She was abominable.
—Anthony Trollope
Anthony Trollope
Including his Game 2 whitewashing of the A's, he'd allowed just three earned runs in his last 92 2/3 innings …
—Peter Gammons
Peter Gammons
In so many parts of the world, culture rooted in black communities has at one point or another faced attempts at whitewashing: Just look at all the buttoned-up white jazz ensembles that emerged across the United States in the early 20th century.
—Sebastian Modak
Sebastian Modak
1
: a liquid composition for whitening a surface: such as
a
: a preparation for whitening the skin
b
: a composition (as of lime and water or whiting, size, and water) for whitening structural surfaces
2
: an act or instance of glossing over or of exonerating
3
: a defeat in a contest in which the loser fails to score
Synonyms
Examples of whitewash in a Sentence
Verb
a book that tries to whitewash the country's past
refused to whitewash the governor's chronic disregard for the truth
Recent Examples on the Web
Elizabeth Hernandez, The Denver Post, 17 Nov. 2024
In the West, the spiritualities appropriated from the Global South become whitewashed and digestible.
—Prinita Thevarajah, Architectural Digest, 31 Oct. 2024
Smithsonian Magazine, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Nov. 2024
Back before the infamous 2018 cheating scandal, the macho Australian team would puff their chests out and proclaim series whitewashes among other boasts.
—Tristan Lavalette, Forbes, 21 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for whitewash 
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show current usage.
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Verb
The Buffalo Bill Museum and Grave, a top tourist destination in Golden, has long been criticized by Native groups for whitewashing the past.
—Elizabeth Hernandez, The Denver Post, 17 Nov. 2024
In the West, the spiritualities appropriated from the Global South become whitewashed and digestible.
—Prinita Thevarajah, Architectural Digest, 31 Oct. 2024
Noun
The whitewash that the government has done is so detrimental to the people who were here long before the white man.
—Smithsonian Magazine, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Nov. 2024
Back before the infamous 2018 cheating scandal, the macho Australian team would puff their chests out and proclaim series whitewashes among other boasts.
—Tristan Lavalette, Forbes, 21 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for whitewash
Dictionary Entries Near whitewash
Cite this Entry
“Whitewash.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whitewash. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
whitewash
1 of 2 verb
white·wash
ˈhwīt-ˌwȯsh
-ˌwäsh,
ˈwīt-
1
: to whiten with whitewash
2
a
: to explain away or cover up
refused to whitewash the scandal
b
: to clear of a charge of wrongdoing by offering excuses, hiding facts, or conducting a careless investigation
accused the city council of whitewashing the mayor
3
informal
: to prevent an opponent in a game or contest from scoring
whitewasher
noun
whitewash
2 of 2 noun1
: a mixture (as of lime and water) for whitening a surface
2
: a clearing or covering up of wrongdoing
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