: a tub for washing or soaking clothes

Examples of washtub in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Conklin whisked away the washtub, its contents colored by the tights’ aniline dye. Allison Robicelli, Washington Post, 21 June 2023 Some of them, like the washtub, are fairly self-explanatory. The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Feb. 2026 His band consisted of guitar, washtub bass, and horse's skull—the percussion was played with a stick, running up and down the teeth. Stanley Stewart, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Oct. 2019 The kitchen could barely accommodate a metal washtub, a coal stove, and a dining table, spread with oysters and bread. Ismail Ibrahim, The New Yorker, 29 Jan. 2024 See All Example Sentences for washtub

Word History

First Known Use

1602, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of washtub was in 1602

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Cite this Entry

“Washtub.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/washtub. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

Kids Definition

washtub

noun
: a tub for washing or soaking clothes
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