backwash

/ˈbækwɑʃ/
noun
  1. The water that flows backward toward the sea after a wave has hit the shore.
    • The backwash from the wave pulled the sand out from under his feet.
    • Surfers must be careful of the strong backwash near the rocks.
    • The backwash created a foamy line along the beach.
  2. The unpleasant or unwanted result of an event or action; aftermath.
    • The backwash of the war included economic hardship and social unrest.
    • He had to deal with the backwash of his careless remarks at the meeting.
    • The company faced the backwash of negative publicity after the scandal.
  3. The flow of water or air that is pushed backward by a moving object, such as a boat or propeller.
    • The boat's backwash rocked the smaller kayaks.
    • Swimmers avoided the area because of the strong backwash from the motorboat.
    • The backwash from the fan blew papers off the desk.
verb
  1. To clean or rinse something by forcing water or liquid backward through it, especially a filter or a pipe.
    • The pool technician needs to backwash the filter every week.
    • He backwashed the aquarium filter to keep the water clear.
    • You should backwash the water purifier to remove trapped particles.
Synonyms
What does "backwash" mean? | whatsthatwordmean | whatsthatwordmean