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toilet definition

toi·let (to̵ilit)

noun

  1. Obsolete a dressing table
  2. the process of dressing or grooming oneself, esp., of dressing one's hair
  3. toilette; dress; attire; costume
    1. a room, shelter, etc. in which to defecate or urinate; specif., a small room with a bowl-shaped porcelain fixture for this purpose
    2. such a fixture, usually with a hinged seat and seat cover, having a device for flushing with water or, sometimes, a chemical solution, which is held in an attached tank
  4. the cleaning and dressing of a wound, esp. in surgery

Etymology: MFr toilette, orig., cloth covering used in shaving or hairdressing < OFr toile, cloth: see toil

adjective

  1. of or for dressing or grooming oneself toilet articles
  2. ☆ for a toilet () a toilet brush

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

toilet Synonyms

toilet

n.

  1. Grooming one's person

    ablutions, dressing, morning preparations, bath, haircut, shave, shower, hairdressing, applying cosmetics, wash-up*, tidy-up*, make-up*, crumb-up*.

  2. A room for privacy

    water closet, lavatory, washroom, restroom, men's room, women's room, powder room, gentlemen's room, ladies' room, comfort station, bathroom, bath, privy, latrine, garderobe, head, amenity, necessarium, little boy's room*, little girl's room*, potty*, W.C.* (British), can*, altar room*, chamber of commerce*, poet's corner*, pot*, john*, throne room*.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

toilet Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • flush: You may be surprised at the number of times your family flush the toilet or wash your hands.

Adjective modifier

  • flush: Wider use of simple measures such as low volume flush toilets would quickly reduce water use.

Modifies a noun

  • cistern: In particular, I disliked the plastic flowers covered in dust that were everywhere in the house, even round the toilet cistern.

Noun used with modifier

  • gents: Not surprisingly, the tall vent from the old gents toilet has disappeared.

Possessives

  • gent: The bar is housed in the station's original waiting room and the cellar was once the gent's toilet.

Preposition: with

  • washbasin: Each floor has a separate toilet with a washbasin and a bathroom/toilet.
toilet usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

toilet quotes

There are passages of Ulysses which can be read only in the toiletöif one wants to extract the full flavour of their content.

-Miller, Henry Valentine

toilet quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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"toilet." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/toilet>

APA Style

toilet. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/toilet

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