Phrase guide

car wash

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • General-American: /ˈkɑɹ ˌwɑʃ/
  • British, Southern, Standard: /ˈkɑɹ ˌwɔʃ/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

An event at which people (often students) wash cars, often for a small fee or donation

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A place at which a car is washed, usually for a fee and often mechanically by driving the car through a tunnel.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • I'm going to take the car to the car wash.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

An instance of washing a car, especially such a place.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • I'm going to take the car in for a car wash.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

74 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 洗車 /洗车 (xǐchē) — event at which people wash cars
  • Finnish: autonpesu — event at which people wash cars
  • Georgian: ავტომობილების რეცხვა (avṭomobilebis recxva) — event at which people wash cars
  • German: Wagenwäsche — event at which people wash cars
  • Macedonian: миење кола — event at which people wash cars
  • Macedonian: перење кола — event at which people wash cars
  • Polish: mycie samochodów — event at which people wash cars
  • Russian: мо́йка автомоби́лей (mójka avtomobílej) — event at which people wash cars
  • Swedish: biltvätt — event at which people wash cars
  • Swedish: biltvättning — event at which people wash cars
  • Afrikaans: karwassery — place at which a car is washed, often mechanically
  • Azerbaijani: avtoyuma — place at which a car is washed, often mechanically
  • Azerbaijani: moyka — place at which a car is washed, often mechanically
  • Basque: auto-garbigune — place at which a car is washed, often mechanically
  • Belarusian: аўтамыйня (awtamyjnja) — place at which a car is washed, often mechanically
  • Bulgarian: автомивка (avtomivka) — place at which a car is washed, often mechanically
  • Catalan: centre de rentatge — place at which a car is washed, often mechanically
  • Chinese Mandarin: 洗車場 /洗车场 (xǐchēchǎng) — place at which a car is washed, often mechanically
  • Czech: mycí linka — place at which a car is washed, often mechanically
  • Danish: bilvask — place at which a car is washed, often mechanically
  • Dutch: wasstraat — place at which a car is washed, often mechanically
  • Dutch: autowasstraat — place at which a car is washed, often mechanically
  • Estonian: autopesu — place at which a car is washed, often mechanically
  • Finnish: autopesula — place at which a car is washed, often mechanically
  • French: station de lavage — place at which a car is washed, often mechanically
  • French: lave-auto — place at which a car is washed, often mechanically
  • Georgian: ავტომობილების სამრეცხაო (avṭomobilebis samrecxao) — place at which a car is washed, often mechanically
  • Georgian: ავტოსამრეცხაო (avṭosamrecxao) — place at which a car is washed, often mechanically
  • Georgian: მოიკა (moiḳa) — place at which a car is washed, often mechanically
  • German: Waschstraße — place at which a car is washed, often mechanically
  • German: Waschanlage — place at which a car is washed, often mechanically
  • German: Wagenwäsche — place at which a car is washed, often mechanically
  • Hungarian: autómosó — place at which a car is washed, often mechanically
  • Indonesian: tempat cuci mobil — place at which a car is washed, often mechanically
  • Italian: autolavaggio — place at which a car is washed, often mechanically
  • Japanese: 洗車場 (senshajō) — place at which a car is washed, often mechanically
  • Kazakh: автожуу (avtojuu) — place at which a car is washed, often mechanically
  • Lao: ຮ້ານລ້າງລົດ (hān lāng lot) — place at which a car is washed, often mechanically
  • Lao: ລ້າງລົດ (lāng lot) — place at which a car is washed, often mechanically
  • Latvian: auto mazgātava — place at which a car is washed, often mechanically
  • Lithuanian: automobilių plovykla — place at which a car is washed, often mechanically
  • Luxembourgish: Wäschstrooss — place at which a car is washed, often mechanically
  • Macedonian: автопералница (avtoperalnica) — place at which a car is washed, often mechanically
  • Macedonian: автопера́лна (avtoperálna) — place at which a car is washed, often mechanically
  • Malay: tempat cuci kereta — place at which a car is washed, often mechanically
  • Manx: naighyn-carr — place at which a car is washed, often mechanically
  • Mongolian: авто угаалга (avto ugaalga) — place at which a car is washed, often mechanically
  • Mongolian: машин угаалга (mašin ugaalga) — place at which a car is washed, often mechanically
  • Norwegian: bilvask — place at which a car is washed, often mechanically
  • Persian: کارواش (kârvâš) — place at which a car is washed, often mechanically
  • Polish: automyjnia — place at which a car is washed, often mechanically
  • Polish: myjnia samochodowa — place at which a car is washed, often mechanically
  • Portuguese: lava-jato — place at which a car is washed, often mechanically
  • Romanian: spălătorie auto — place at which a car is washed, often mechanically
  • Russian: автомо́йка (avtomójka) — place at which a car is washed, often mechanically
  • Russian: мо́йка (mójka) — place at which a car is washed, often mechanically
  • Serbo-Croatian: аутопраоница — place at which a car is washed, often mechanically
  • Serbo-Croatian: autopraonica — place at which a car is washed, often mechanically
  • Slovak: umývacia linka — place at which a car is washed, often mechanically
  • Slovene: avtopralnica — place at which a car is washed, often mechanically
  • Spanish: túnel de lavado — place at which a car is washed, often mechanically
  • Spanish: autolavado — place at which a car is washed, often mechanically
  • Spanish: lavado de coches / carros / autos — place at which a car is washed, often mechanically
  • Spanish: lavadero de carros / autos — place at which a car is washed, often mechanically
  • Spanish: lavadora de autos — place at which a car is washed, often mechanically
  • Spanish: fregadora — place at which a car is washed, often mechanically
  • Spanish: car wash — place at which a car is washed, often mechanically
  • Swedish: biltvätt — place at which a car is washed, often mechanically
  • Thai: การล้าง รถ (gaan láang rót) — place at which a car is washed, often mechanically
  • Turkish: araç yıkama yeri — place at which a car is washed, often mechanically
  • Turkish: oto kuaför — place at which a car is washed, often mechanically
  • Turkish: oto yıkama — place at which a car is washed, often mechanically
  • Ukrainian: автоми́йка (avtomýjka) — place at which a car is washed, often mechanically
  • Vietnamese: rửa xe — place at which a car is washed, often mechanically