wash one's hands
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wash one's hands
- /ˌwɒʃ wʌnz ˈhæn(d)z/ UK
- /ˌwɑʃ wʌnz ˈhæn(d)z/ US
Where it comes from
The figurative sense comes from the account in Matthew 27:24 of the Bible in which Pontius Pilate, unwilling to condemn Jesus who has committed no crime but whose crucifixion the crowd has called for, symbolically washes his hands in public and says (according to the King James Version; spelling modernized): “I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it.”
Another literal and figurative usage of the expression can be traced to Deuteronomy 21:6 where the elders of Israel are commanded to "wash their hands" as part of a ceremonial absolution ritual initiated upon the discovery of a corpse outside the jurisdiction of any city.
verb washes one's hands · washing one's hands · washed one's hands
- Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see wash, one's, hands. Be sure to wash your hands before preparing food.
- To go to the toilet.
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To absolve oneself of responsibility or future blame for; to refuse to have any further involvement with.
Sharp[er]. […] Mony is but Dirt, Sir Joſeph—Mere Dirt. / Sir Jo[seph Wittoll]. But I profeſs, it is a Dirt I have vvaſhed my Hands of at preſent; I have laid it all out upon my Back.
Similar: disclaim, disown, abjure, deny, disavow, forsay, forswear, renounce, repudiate, wash one's hands of
Translations
Every language
verb to absolve oneself of responsibility or future blame for
| Español | lavarse las manos, desentenderse |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 손씻다 sonssitda, 손떼다 sontteda |
| 日本語 | 手を引く te o hiku |
| 中文 | 金盆洗手 jīnpénxǐshǒu |
| Português | lavar as mãos, redimir-se de |
| Français | se laver les mains de |
| Deutsch | die Hände in Unschuld waschen |
| Italiano | lavarsene le mani |
| Ελληνικά | νίπτω τας χείρας μου nípto tas cheíras mou |
| Русский | умыть руки umytʹ ruki, умывать руки umyvatʹ ruki |
| العربية | غَسَلَ يَدَيْهِ مِنَ الْأَمْرِ ḡasala yadayhi mina l-ʔamri |
Talk about this word "wash one's hands." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/wash%20one's%20hands. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. wash one's hands. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/wash%20one's%20hands "wash one's hands." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/wash%20one's%20hands.Cite this
@misc{wash_one_s_hands_2026,
title = {wash one's hands},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/wash%20one's%20hands},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
