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Hand vs. Wash — What's the Difference?

Hand vs. Wash — What's the Difference?

Difference Between Hand and Wash

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Hand

A hand is a prehensile, multi-fingered appendage located at the end of the forearm or forelimb of primates such as humans, chimpanzees, monkeys, and lemurs. A few other vertebrates such as the koala (which has two opposable thumbs on each "hand" and fingerprints extremely similar to human fingerprints) are often described as having "hands" instead of paws on their front limbs.

Wash

Clean with water and, typically, soap or detergent
Auntie Lou had washed all their clothes
He washed down the woodwork in the kitchen

Hand

The end part of a person's arm beyond the wrist, including the palm, fingers, and thumb
The palm of her hand
He was leading her by the hand

Wash

(of flowing water) carry (someone or something) in a particular direction
Floods washed away the bridges

Hand

A pointer on a clock or watch indicating the passing of units of time
The second hand
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Wash

Brush with a thin coat of dilute paint or ink
The walls were washed with shades of umber

Hand

Used in reference to the power to direct something
The day-to-day running of the house was in her hands
They are taking the law into their own hands

Wash

Seem convincing or genuine
Charm won't wash with this crew

Hand

A person's workmanship, especially in artistic work
His idiosyncratic hand

Wash

An act of washing something or an instance of being washed
Her hair needs a wash

Hand

A person who engages in manual labour, especially in a factory, on a farm, or on board a ship
A factory hand
The ship was lost with all hands

Wash

The water or air disturbed by a moving boat or aircraft
The wash of a motorboat

Hand

The set of cards dealt to a player in a card game
The situation does not give them a strong hand at the negotiating table
He's got a good hand

Wash

An inlet of the North Sea on the east coast of England between Norfolk and Lincolnshire.

Hand

A unit of measurement of a horse's height, equal to 4 inches (10.16 cm).

Wash

A medicinal or cleansing solution
Citrus-scented body wash

Hand

A bunch of bananas
Mottled hands of bananas

Wash

A layer of paint or metal spread thinly on a surface
The walls were covered with a pale lemon wash

Hand

Pick (something) up and give it to (someone)
I handed the trowel back to him
He handed each man a glass

Wash

Silt or gravel carried by a stream or river and deposited as sediment.

Hand

Hold the hand of (someone) in order to guide them in a specified direction
He handed them into the carriage

Wash

Kitchen slops and other food waste fed to pigs.

Hand

Take in or furl (a sail)
Hand in the main!

Wash

Malt fermenting in preparation for distillation.

Hand

The terminal part of the human arm located below the forearm, used for grasping and holding and consisting of the wrist, palm, four fingers, and an opposable thumb.

Wash

A situation or result that is of no benefit to either of two opposing sides
The plan's impact on jobs would be a wash, creating as many as it costs

Hand

A homologous or similar part in other animals, as the terminal part of the forelimb in certain vertebrates.

Wash

To cleanse, using water or other liquid, usually with soap, detergent, or bleach, by immersing, dipping, rubbing, or scrubbing
Wash one's hands.
Wash windows.

Hand

A unit of length equal to 4 inches (10.2 centimeters), used especially to specify the height of a horse.

Wash

To soak, rinse out, and remove (dirt or stain) with water or other liquid
Wash grease out of overalls.

Hand

Any of the rotating pointers used as indexes on the face of a mechanical clock.

Wash

To make moist or wet; drench
Tears washed the child's cheeks.

Hand

A pointer, as on a gauge or dial.

Wash

To flow over, against, or past
Waves that washed the sandy shores.

Hand

(Printing)See index.

Wash

To carry, erode, remove, or destroy by the action of moving water
Heavy rains washed the topsoil away.

Hand

Lateral direction indicated according to the way in which one is facing
At my right hand.

Wash

To rid of corruption or guilt; cleanse or purify
Wash sins away.

Hand

A style or individual sample of writing.

Wash

To cover or coat with a watery layer of paint or other coloring substance.

Hand

A signature
Put my hand to the contract.

Wash

To purify (a gas) by passing through or over a liquid, as to remove soluble matter.

Hand

A round of applause to signify approval.

Wash

To pass a solvent, such as distilled water, through (a precipitate).

Hand

Physical assistance; help
Gave me a hand with the bags.

Wash

To separate constituents of (an ore) by immersion in or agitation with water.

Hand

Hands Sports A hand ball in soccer.

Wash

To cause to undergo a swirling action
Washed the tea around in the cup.

Hand

The cards held in a card game by a given player at any time.

Wash

To cleanse something in or by means of water or other liquid.

Hand

The number of cards dealt each player; the deal.

Wash

To undergo washing without fading or other damage
This fabric will wash.

Hand

A player or participant in a card game
We need a fourth hand for bridge.

Wash

(Informal) To hold up under examination; be convincing
His story will not wash with the police.

Hand

A portion or section of a game during which all the cards dealt out are played
A hand of poker.

Wash

To flow, sweep, or beat with a characteristic lapping sound
Waves washed over the pilings.

Hand

One who performs manual labor
A factory hand.

Wash

To be carried away, removed, or drawn by the action of water.

Hand

One who is part of a group or crew
The ship's hands.

Wash

The act or process of washing or cleansing.

Hand

A participant in an activity, often one who specializes in a particular activity or pursuit
An old hand at labor negotiations.

Wash

A quantity of articles washed or intended for washing
The wash is on the back porch.

Hand

The degree of immediacy of a source of information; degree of reliability
Heard the scandalous tale at third hand.

Wash

Waste liquid; swill.

Hand

The strength or force of one's position
Negotiated from a strong hand.

Wash

Fermented liquid from which liquor is distilled.

Hand

Often hands Possession, ownership, or keeping
The books should be in your hands by noon.

Wash

A preparation or product used in washing or coating.

Hand

Power; jurisdiction; care
The defendant's fate is in the hands of the jury. Dinner is in the chef's hands.

Wash

A cosmetic or medicinal liquid, such as a mouthwash.

Hand

Involvement or participation
"In all this was evident the hand of the counterrevolutionaries" (John Reed).

Wash

A thin layer of watercolor or India ink spread on a drawing.

Hand

An influence or effect
The manager had a hand in all major decisions.

Wash

A light tint or hue
"a wash of red sunset" (Thomas Pynchon).

Hand

Evidence of craft or artistic skill
Can see the hand of a genius even in the lighter poems.

Wash

A rush or surge of water or waves.

Hand

An aptitude or ability
I tried my hand at decorating.

Wash

The sound of this rush or surge.

Hand

The aesthetic feel or tactile quality of something, such as a fabric, textile, or carpeting, that indicates its fineness, texture, and durability.

Wash

Removal or erosion of soil by the action of moving water.

Hand

A manner or way of performing something
A light hand with makeup.

Wash

A deposit of recently eroded debris.

Hand

Permission or a promise, especially a pledge to wed.

Wash

Low or marshy ground washed by tidal waters.

Hand

A commitment or agreement, especially when sealed by a handshake; one's word
You have my hand on that.

Wash

A stretch of shallow water.

Hand

To give or pass with or as if with the hands; transmit
Hand me your keys.

Wash

Western US The dry bed of a stream.

Hand

To aid, direct, or conduct with the hands
The usher handed the patron to a reserved seat.

Wash

Turbulence in air or water caused by the motion or action of an oar, propeller, jet, or airfoil.

Hand

(Nautical)To roll up and secure (a sail); furl.

Wash

(Informal) An activity, action, or enterprise that yields neither marked gain nor marked loss
"[The company] doesn't do badly. That is, it's a wash" (Harper's).

Hand

To give (the ball) directly to a teammate, as in football. Often used with off.

Wash

Used for washing.

Hand

To carry, strike, or propel (the ball) with the hand or arm in violation of the rules in soccer.

Wash

Being such that washing is possible; washable.

Hand

To make a handoff, as in football. Often used with off.

Wash

To clean with water.
The car is so dirty, we need to wash it.
Dishwashers wash dishes much more efficiently than most humans.

Hand

The part of the forelimb below the forearm or wrist in a human, and the corresponding part in many other animals.
Her hands are really strong.

Wash

(transitive) To move or erode by the force of water in motion.
Heavy rains wash a road or an embankment.
The flood washed away houses.

Hand

That which resembles, or to some extent performs the office of, a human hand.

Wash

(mining) To separate valuable material (such as gold) from worthless material by the action of flowing water.

Hand

A limb of certain animals, such as the foot of a hawk, or any one of the four extremities of a monkey.

Wash

(intransitive) To clean oneself with water.
I wash every morning after getting up.

Hand

An index or pointer on a dial; such as the hour and minute hands on the face of an analog clock, which are used to indicate the time of day.

Wash

(transitive) To cover with water or any liquid; to wet; to fall on and moisten.
Waves wash the shore.

Hand

That which is, or may be, held in a hand at once.

Wash

(intransitive) To move with a lapping or swashing sound; to lap or splash.
To hear the water washing

Hand

(card games) The set of cards held by a player.

Wash

(intransitive) To be eroded or carried away by the action of water.

Hand

(tobacco manufacturing) A bundle of tobacco leaves tied together.

Wash

To be cogent, convincing; to withstand critique.

Hand

(collective) A bunch of bananas.

Wash

(intransitive) To bear without injury the operation of being washed.
Some calicoes do not wash.

Hand

That which has the appearance of, a human hand.

Wash

(intransitive) To be wasted or worn away by the action of water, as by a running or overflowing stream, or by the dashing of the sea; said of road, a beach, etc.

Hand

A bunch of bananas, a typical retail amount, where individual fruits are fingers.

Wash

To cover with a thin or watery coat of colour; to tint lightly and thinly.

Hand

In linear measurement:

Wash

To overlay with a thin coat of metal.
Steel washed with silver

Hand

Four inches, a hand's breadth.

Wash

(transitive) To cause dephosphorization of (molten pig iron) by adding substances containing iron oxide, and sometimes manganese oxide.

Hand

(obsolete) Three inches.

Wash

(transitive) To pass (a gas or gaseous mixture) through or over a liquid for the purpose of purifying it, especially by removing soluble constituents.

Hand

A side; part, camp; direction, either right or left.

Wash

The process or an instance of washing or being washed by water or other liquid.
I'm going to have a quick wash before coming to bed.
My jacket needs a wash.

Hand

Power of performance; means of execution; ability; skill; dexterity.

Wash

A liquid used for washing.

Hand

(especially in compounds) An agent; a servant, or manual laborer; a workman, trained or competent for special service or duty.
Large farms need many farm hands.

Wash

A lotion or other liquid with medicinal or hygienic properties.
Mouth wash
Hand wash

Hand

A performer more or less skilful.
An old hand at public speaking

Wash

The quantity of clothes washed at a time.
There's a lot in that wash: maybe you should split it into two piles.

Hand

An instance of helping.
Bob gave Alice a hand to move the furniture.

Wash

(arts) A smooth and translucent painting created using a paintbrush holding a large amount of solvent and a small amount of paint.

Hand

Handwriting; style of penmanship.
A good hand

Wash

The breaking of waves on the shore; the onwards rush of shallow water towards a beach.
I could hear the wash of the wave.

Hand

A person's autograph or signature.
Given under my Hand and Seal of the State this 1st Day of January, 2010.

Wash

The bow wave, wake, or vortex of an object moving in a fluid, in particular:

Hand

Promise, word.

Wash

The bow wave or wake of a moving ship, or the vortex from its screws.
The ship left a big wash
Sail away from the wash to avoid rocking the boat.

Hand

Personal possession; ownership.

Wash

The turbulence left in the air by a moving airplane.

Hand

Management, domain, control.
In safe hands;
In good hands;
He lost his job when the factory changed hands.
With the business back in the founder's hands, there is new hope for the company.
With John in charge of the project, it's in good hands.

Wash

The backward current or disturbed water caused by the action of oars, or of a steamer's screw or paddles, etc.

Hand

Applause.
Give him a hand.

Wash

(nautical) The blade of an oar.

Hand

(historical) A Native American gambling game, involving guessing the whereabouts of bits of ivory or similar, which are passed rapidly from hand to hand.

Wash

Ground washed away to the sea or a river.

Hand

(firearms) The small part of a gunstock near the lock, which is grasped by the hand in taking aim.

Wash

A piece of ground washed by the action of water, or sometimes covered and sometimes left dry; the shallowest part of a river, or arm of the sea; also, a bog; a marsh.

Hand

A whole rhizome of ginger.

Wash

A shallow body of water.

Hand

The feel of a fabric; the impression or quality of the fabric as judged qualitatively by the sense of touch.
This fabric has a smooth, soft hand.

Wash

In arid and semi-arid regions, the normally dry bed of an intermittent or ephemeral stream; an arroyo or wadi.

Hand

(archaic) Actual performance; deed; act; workmanship; agency; hence, manner of performance.

Wash

A situation in which losses and gains or advantages and disadvantages are equivalent; a situation in which there is no net change.

Hand

(archaic) Agency in transmission from one person to another.
To buy at first hand (from the producer, or when new);
To buy at second hand (when no longer in the producer’s hand, or when not new);
It's not a rumor. I heard it at first hand.

Wash

A fictitious kind of sale of stock or other securities between parties of one interest, or by a broker who is both buyer and seller, and who minds his own interest rather than that of his clients.

Hand

(obsolete) Rate; price.

Wash

Waste liquid, the refuse of food, the collection from washed dishes, etc., from a kitchen, often used as food for pigs; pigwash.

Hand

(transitive) To give, pass or transmit with the hand, literally or figuratively.
He handed them the letter.
She handed responsibility over to her deputy.

Wash

In distilling, the fermented wort before the spirit is extracted.

Hand

(transitive) To lead, guide, or assist with the hand; to conduct.
To hand a lady into a carriage

Wash

A mixture of dunder, molasses, water, and scummings, used in the West Indies for distillation.

Hand

To manage.

Wash

A thin coat of paint or metal laid on anything for beauty or preservation.

Hand

To seize; to lay hands on.

Wash

Ten strikes, or bushels, of oysters.

Hand

To pledge by the hand; to handfast.

Wash

(architecture) The upper surface of a member or material when given a slope to shed water; hence, a structure or receptacle shaped so as to receive and carry off water.
A carriage wash in a stable

Hand

To furl.

Wash

(television) A lighting effect that fills a scene with a chosen colour.

Hand

To cooperate.

Wash

(stagecraft) A lighting fixture that can cast a wide beam of light to evenly fill an area with light, as opposed to a spotlight.

Hand

That part of the fore limb below the forearm or wrist in man and monkeys, and the corresponding part in many other animals; manus; paw. See Manus.

Wash

To cleanse by ablution, or dipping or rubbing in water; to apply water or other liquid to for the purpose of cleansing; to scrub with water, etc., or as with water; as, to wash the hands or body; to wash garments; to wash sheep or wool; to wash the pavement or floor; to wash the bark of trees.
When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, . . . he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person.

Hand

That which resembles, or to some extent performs the office of, a human hand

Wash

To cover with water or any liquid; to wet; to fall on and moisten; hence, to overflow or dash against; as, waves wash the shore.
Fresh-blown roses washed with dew.
[The landscape] washed with a cold, gray mist.

Hand

A measure equal to a hand's breadth, - four inches; a palm. Chiefly used in measuring the height of horses.

Wash

To waste or abrade by the force of water in motion; as, heavy rains wash a road or an embankment.

Hand

Side; part; direction, either right or left.
On this hand and that hand, were hangings.
The Protestants were then on the winning hand.

Wash

To remove by washing to take away by, or as by, the action of water; to drag or draw off as by the tide; - often with away, off, out, etc.; as, to wash dirt from the hands.
Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins.
The tide will wash you off.

Hand

Power of performance; means of execution; ability; skill; dexterity.
He had a great mind to try his hand at a Spectator.

Wash

To cover with a thin or watery coat of color; to tint lightly and thinly.

Hand

Actual performance; deed; act; workmanship; agency; hence, manner of performance.
To change the hand in carrying on the war.
Gideon said unto God, If thou wilt save Israel by my hand.

Wash

To overlay with a thin coat of metal; as, steel washed with silver.

Hand

An agent; a servant, or laborer; a workman, trained or competent for special service or duty; a performer more or less skillful; as, a deck hand; a farm hand; an old hand at speaking.
A dictionary containing a natural history requires too many hands, as well as too much time, ever to be hoped for.
I was always reckoned a lively hand at a simile.

Wash

To cause dephosphorisation of (molten pig iron) by adding substances containing iron oxide, and sometimes manganese oxide.

Hand

Handwriting; style of penmanship; as, a good, bad, or running hand. Hence, a signature.
I say she never did invent this letter;This is a man's invention and his hand.
Some writs require a judge's hand.

Wash

To pass (a gas or gaseous mixture) through or over a liquid for the purpose of purifying it, esp. by removing soluble constituents.

Hand

Personal possession; ownership; hence, control; direction; management; - usually in the plural.
Albinus . . . found means to keep in his hands the government of Britain.

Wash

To perform the act of ablution.
Wash in Jordan seven times.

Hand

Agency in transmission from one person to another; as, to buy at first hand, that is, from the producer, or when new; at second hand, that is, when no longer in the producer's hand, or when not new.

Wash

To clean anything by rubbing or dipping it in water; to perform the business of cleansing clothes, ore, etc., in water.

Hand

Rate; price.

Wash

To bear without injury the operation of being washed; as, some calicoes do not wash.

Hand

That which is, or may be, held in a hand at once

Wash

To be wasted or worn away by the action of water, as by a running or overflowing stream, or by the dashing of the sea; - said of road, a beach, etc.

Hand

The small part of a gunstock near the lock, which is grasped by the hand in taking aim.

Wash

To use washes, as for the face or hair.

Hand

A gambling game played by American Indians, consisting of guessing the whereabouts of bits of ivory or the like, which are passed rapidly from hand to hand.

Wash

To move with a lapping or swashing sound, or the like; to lap; splash; as, to hear the water washing.

Hand

To give, pass, or transmit with the hand; as, he handed them the letter.

Wash

To be accepted as true or valid; to be proven true by subsequent evidence; - usually used in the negative; as, his alibi won't wash.

Hand

To lead, guide, or assist with the hand; to conduct; as, to hand a lady into a carriage.

Wash

The act of washing; an ablution; a cleansing, wetting, or dashing with water; hence, a quantity, as of clothes, washed at once.

Hand

To manage; as, I hand my oar.

Wash

A piece of ground washed by the action of a sea or river, or sometimes covered and sometimes left dry; the shallowest part of a river, or arm of the sea; also, a bog; a marsh; a fen; as, the washes in Lincolnshire.
These Lincoln washes have devoured them.

Hand

To seize; to lay hands on.

Wash

Substances collected and deposited by the action of water; as, the wash of a sewer, of a river, etc.
The wash of pastures, fields, commons, and roads, where rain water hath a long time settled.

Hand

To pledge by the hand; to handfast.

Wash

Waste liquid, the refuse of food, the collection from washed dishes, etc., from a kitchen, often used as food for pigs.

Hand

To furl; - said of a sail.

Wash

The fermented wort before the spirit is extracted.

Hand

To coöperate.

Wash

That with which anything is washed, or wetted, smeared, tinted, etc., upon the surface.

Hand

The (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb;
He had the hands of a surgeon
He extended his mitt

Wash

A liquid cosmetic for the complexion.

Hand

A hired laborer on a farm or ranch;
The hired hand fixed the railing
A ranch hand

Wash

The blade of an oar, or the thin part which enters the water.

Hand

Something written by hand;
She recognized his handwriting
His hand was illegible

Wash

A liquid dentifrice.

Hand

Ability;
He wanted to try his hand at singing

Wash

The flow, swash, or breaking of a body of water, as a wave; also, the sound of it.

Hand

A position given by its location to the side of an object;
Objections were voiced on every hand

Wash

A liquid preparation for the hair; as, a hair wash.

Hand

The cards held in a card game by a given player at any given time;
I didn't hold a good hand all evening
He kept trying to see my hand

Wash

Ten strikes, or bushels, of oysters.

Hand

One of two sides of an issue;
On the one hand..., but on the other hand...

Wash

A medical preparation in a liquid form for external application; a lotion.

Hand

A rotating pointer on the face of a timepiece;
The big hand counts the minutes

Wash

Gravel and other rock débris transported and deposited by running water; coarse alluvium.

Hand

A unit of length equal to 4 inches; used in measuring horses;
The horse stood 20 hands

Wash

A thin coat of color, esp. water color.

Hand

A member of the crew of a ship;
All hands on deck

Wash

The dry bed of an intermittent stream, sometimes at the bottom of a cañon; as, the Amargosa wash, Diamond wash; - called also dry wash.

Hand

A card player in a game of bridge;
We need a 4th hand for bridge

Wash

A thin coat of metal applied in a liquid form on any object, for beauty or preservation; - called also washing.

Hand

A round of applause to signify approval;
Give the little lady a great big hand

Wash

The upper surface of a member or material when given a slope to shed water. Hence, a structure or receptacle shaped so as to receive and carry off water, as a carriage wash in a stable.

Hand

Terminal part of the forelimb in certain vertebrates (e.g. apes or kangaroos);
The kangaroo's forearms seem undeveloped but the powerful five-fingered hands are skilled at feinting and clouting

Wash

An action or situation in which the gains and losses are equal, or closely compensate each other.

Hand

Physical assistance;
Give me a hand with the chores

Wash

The disturbance of the air left behind in the wake of a moving airplane or one of its parts.

Hand

Place into the hands or custody of;
Hand me the spoon, please
Turn the files over to me, please
He turned over the prisoner to his lawyers

Wash

Washy; weak.
Their bodies of so weak and wash a temper.

Hand

Guide or conduct or usher somewhere;
Hand the elderly lady into the taxi

Wash

Capable of being washed without injury; washable; as, wash goods.

Wash

A thin coat of water-base paint

Wash

The work of cleansing (usually with soap and water)

Wash

The dry bed of an intermittent stream (as at the bottom of a canyon)

Wash

The erosive process of washing away soil or gravel by water (as from a roadway);
From the house they watched the washout of their newly seeded lawn by the water

Wash

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

Wash

A watercolor made by applying a series of monochrome washes one over the other

Wash

Garments or white goods that can be cleaned by laundering

Wash

Any enterprise in which losses and gains cancel out;
At the end of the year the accounting department showed that it was a wash

Wash

Clean with some chemical process

Wash

Cleanse (one's body) with soap and water

Wash

Cleanse with a cleaning agent, such as soap, and water;
Wash the towels, please!

Wash

Move by or as if by water;
The swollen river washed away the footbridge

Wash

Be capable of being washed;
Does this material wash?

Wash

Admit to testing or proof;
This silly excuse won't wash in traffic court

Wash

Separate dirt or gravel from (precious minerals)

Wash

Apply a thin coating of paint, metal, etc., to

Wash

Remove by the application of water or other liquid and soap or some other cleaning agent;
He washed the dirt from his coat
The nurse washed away the blood
Can you wash away the spots on the windows?
He managed to wash out the stains

Wash

Form by erosion;
The river washed a ravine into the mountainside

Wash

Make moist;
The dew moistened the meadows

Wash

Wash or flow against;
The waves laved the shore

Wash

To cleanse (itself or another animal) by licking;
The cat washes several times a day

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