whitewash

B1 · Intermediate

v. to paint a wall or fence with a simple, cheap white liquid.

v. to coat a surface with a mixture of lime and water or a similar white liquid.

“They decided to whitewash the old garden wall to make the yard look brighter.”

“The villagers traditionally whitewash their stone cottages every spring to protect the walls and reflect the summer heat.”

C1 · Advanced Film Informal

v. to change a story or a movie to focus on white people, often by replacing characters of color with white actors.

v. to cast white actors in roles originally intended for people of colour, or to alter a narrative to center white perspectives.

“Fans were angry when the studio chose to whitewash the lead role in the movie.”

“The production faced significant backlash for its decision to whitewash a story deeply rooted in East Asian history.”

C1 · Advanced Sports Informal · British English

v. to beat an opponent so badly that they do not score any points at all.

v. to defeat an opponent completely, preventing them from scoring or winning any games in a series.

“The national team managed to whitewash their rivals in the three-match series.”

“After a dominant performance in the final test, the visitors completed a historic whitewash over the home side.”

B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun Politics

n. an attempt to stop people from finding out the truth about something bad.

n. a coordinated effort to hide unpleasant facts or to exonerate a guilty party through a biased investigation.

“The public viewed the internal report as a complete whitewash.”

“The opposition party demanded a new probe, claiming the initial findings were nothing more than a political whitewash.”