washer
n. countablen. a machine used for cleaning clothes or dishes. It can also mean a small, flat ring of metal or plastic used to make a bolt or screw fit more tightly.
n. a household appliance designed for laundering clothes or linens. Also refers to a thin, flat ring used in mechanical assemblies to distribute the load of a threaded fastener or prevent leakage.
I need to put a load of towels in the washer.
The repairman replaced a worn rubber washer to stop the kitchen faucet from leaking.
While the industrial-sized washer handled the heavy linens, the technician inspected the plumbing assembly to ensure every metal washer was seated correctly against the valve housing.
From Middle English wasshere, wassher, equivalent to wash + -er. Cognate with Dutch wasser, German Wäscher.
Unclear. First recorded in the 14th century.
Commonly used as a shorthand for 'washing machine' in North American English.