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rinse

Pronunciation: /rɪns/
Translate rinse | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of rinse

verb

[with object]
  • wash (something) with clean water to remove soap, detergent, dirt, or impurities:always rinse your hair thoroughly [no object]:drain the beans and rinse well
  • wash (something) quickly, especially without soap:Rose rinsed out a tumbler Karen rinsed her mouth out
  • (rinse something off/out) remove (soap, detergent, dirt, or impurities) by washing with clean water:the conditioning mousse doesn’t have to be rinsed out

noun

  • 1an act of rinsing something:I gave my hands a quick rinse
  • 2an antiseptic solution for cleansing the mouth: the medication is used as a rinse twice a day after breakfast and dinner
  • 3a preparation for conditioning or temporarily tinting the hair: a coloured rinse

Phrases

rinse, repeat

(also lather, rinse, repeat or wash, rinse, repeat)
informal used to indicate the continual repetition of an action or sequence of events, typically in a way regarded as tiresomely predictable:If the sun doesn’t come out soon, I’m going to kill myself. Rain, clouds, grey, cold. Rinse, repeat Most scary movies have the build up, the scary moment, then they let you relax for a while. Lather, rinse, repeat
[with reference to typical instructions on bottles of shampoo]

Derivatives

rinser

noun

Origin:

Middle English (as a verb): from Old French rincer, of unknown ultimate origin

rinse in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of rinse in the US English dictionary

Nearby words

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