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What's the idiomatic verb for putting cloth inside an automatic washing machine and activating it?

"I prepared my homework and then I made (?) a washing machine, and later and dried my clothes".

To my ears, to make a washing machine sounds like the one who builds the machine. But on the other hand, 'to make the bad', doesn't really mean to build the bad necessarily. What's the idiomatic word for the mentioned sentence?

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    Usually I wouldn't refer to the machine at all; I would just say "I did the laundry."
    – stangdon
    Commented Feb 1, 2022 at 0:45

3 Answers 3

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"I put a load in the washing machine."

Sometimes

"I threw a load in the washing machine."

You can also say that you "ran a load in the washing machine" if you want emphasize that the washing machine washed the clothes.

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    The phrase I usually use in my personal journal is Put a wash in.
    – Colin Fine
    Commented Feb 1, 2022 at 0:20
  • Does "I put a load in the washing machine." mean to turn on the machine and to activate it, or just put cloths inside, without necessarily turning on the machine? Commented Feb 1, 2022 at 0:41
  • Usually it means both. If you want to ensure that it's understood, you can also add that you "ran it."
    – Mary
    Commented Feb 1, 2022 at 1:01
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No, you can't "make" a washing machine (unless you're a manufacturer).

More natural alternatives would be used or ran:

(You don't need to say that you put the clothes in first as that's obvious.)

Or you can say you just "did the laundry", and leave out all the details, as this covers the entire process from washing to drying to folding.

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You have to make sure the definition of the word matches the activity. You definitely can make (or build) a washing machine from scratch or with instructions because making something is defined as the assembly of. If you are just trying to discuss washing clothes in a washing machine, I would not reference the machine at all because the machine is technically washing your clothes (which is what is being described). So I would say "I washed clothes", "I did my laundry", "I put my clothes in the washing machine"

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