washing away

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In 2024, a glacial lake in Nepal burst, cascading into another lake that also burst, washing away Thame, the hometown of Tenzing Norgay, who, alongside Edmund Hillary, achieved the first recorded summit of Mount Everest.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

Mr Ahmad ordered an immediate evacuation, and within 15 minutes all teachers and children had left - moments before raging floodwaters surged through the school, washing away half the building, its boundary walls and playground.

From BBC • Aug. 18, 2025

We have since lived through Hurricane Maria ripping apart Puerto Rico in 2017, Hurricane Helene washing away communities across the Southeastern seaboard in 2024, and sudden flash floods in Texas earlier this month.

From Salon • Jul. 25, 2025

Most notably, the 1964 Alaska earthquake set off a catastrophic tsunami that devastated the city, washing away 29 blocks and killing at least 11 people.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 2025

When rain comes finally, washing away a low sky of muddy ocher, we who could not control the phenomenon are pressed into relief.

From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou