washout period

noun

UK /ˈwɒʃaʊt ˈpɪəriəd/

US /ˈwɑːʃaʊt ˈpɪriəd/

A washout period is a short break when you stop taking a medicine so it leaves your body before you try something new.

The doctor told him to wait through a two-week washout period before starting the new pills.

SYNONYMS

break period rest period clearing period gap period

RELATED WORDS

clinical trial medication withdrawal treatment dose

OTHER MEANINGS

2. In a clinical trial, a time when participants stop their usual treatment so the effects do not mix with the new one.

During the washout period, no one in the study received the experimental drug.

3. A pause in a sports or work schedule used to rest and recover.

The team had a washout period of three days before the next match.

4. A period when a failed or canceled event is cleared from records or plans.

After the storm, there was a washout period before the outdoor festival could be rescheduled.