toilet

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toi·let

(toi′lĭt)

a. An apparatus for defecation and urination, usually consisting of a bowl fitted with a hinged seat and connected to a waste pipe and a flushing apparatus.

b. A room or booth containing such an apparatus.

2. The act or process of dressing or grooming oneself.

3. Dress; attire; costume.

4. The cleansing of a body area as part of a surgical or medical procedure.

5. Archaic A dressing table.

[French toilette, piece of cloth for wrapping up a bundle of clothes, items used for personal grooming, toilette, dressing table, toilet (by euphemism), from Old French tellette, piece of cloth for wrapping up a bundle of clothes, diminutive of teile, cloth; see toil².]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

toilet

(ˈtɔɪlɪt)

1. another word for lavatory

2. old-fashioned the act of dressing and preparing oneself: to make one's toilet.

3. (Furniture) old-fashioned a dressing table or the articles used when making one's toilet

4. (Clothing & Fashion) rare costume

5. (Surgery) the cleansing of a wound, etc, after an operation or childbirth

[C16: from French toilette dress, from toile]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

toi•let

(ˈtɔɪ lɪt)

n.

1. a bathroom fixture consisting of a bowl, usu. with a hinged seat and lid, and a device for flushing with water, used for defecation and urination.

2. a bathroom or washroom; lavatory.

3. a dressing room, esp. one containing a bath.

4. the act or process of dressing or grooming oneself.

5. the dress or costume of a person.

6. Archaic. a dressing table.

Also, toilette (for defs. 6,8).

[1530–40; < French toilette small cloth, doily, dressing table =toile toil² + -ette -et]

toilet

1. 'toilet'

A toilet is a large bowl connected to the plumbing and used by people to get rid of waste from their bodies.

British speakers also use toilet or bathroom to refer to a room containing a toilet. When this room is in a house, they might also refer to it as the lavatory, the loo, or the WC. Lavatory and WC are rather old-fashioned, more formal words. Loo is only used in conversation. A downstairs toilet in a house is sometimes called a cloakroom.

Annette ran and locked herself in the toilet.

On the ground floor there is a large living room, a kitchen, a dining room and a cloakroom.

Can I use your loo?

In American English, the room in a house containing a toilet is called the bathroom. Washroom is also used.

She had gone in to use the bathroom.

2. 'conveniences'

In British English, a group of toilets in a public place are called public toilets, but you might see public conveniences, WC, or simply toilets on signs. They can also be referred to as the ladies and the gents.

Where are the nearest public toilets?

She made a quick visit to the ladies to re-apply lipstick.

In American English, a room with toilets in a public place can be referred to as a restroom, a comfort station, or a washroom. It can also be referred to as the ladies' room and the men's room.

He walked into the men's restroom and looked at himself in the mirror.

Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun	1.	toilet - a room or building equipped with one or more toilets john, lav, lavatory, privy, bathroom, can head - (nautical) a toilet on board a boat or ship public convenience, public lavatory, public toilet, restroom, toilet facility, wash room, comfort station, convenience - a toilet that is available to the public room - an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling; "the rooms were very small but they had a nice view" commode, crapper, potty, pot, throne, toilet, stool, can - a plumbing fixture for defecation and urination washroom - a lavatory (particularly a lavatory in a public place) loo, W.C., water closet, closet - a toilet in Britain
	2.	toilet - a plumbing fixture for defecation and urination commode, crapper, potty, pot, throne, stool, can bathroom, bath - a room (as in a residence) containing a bathtub or shower and usually a washbasin and toilet flushless toilet - a toilet that relies on bacteria to break down waste matter (instead of using water) flush toilet, lavatory - a toilet that is cleaned of waste by the flow of water through it plumbing fixture - a fixture for the distribution and use of water in a building potty chair, potty seat - toilet consisting of a small seat used by young children john, lav, lavatory, privy, toilet, bathroom, can - a room or building equipped with one or more toilets toilet bowl - the bowl of a toilet that can be flushed with water toilet seat - the hinged seat on a toilet
	3.	toilet - misfortune resulting in lost effort or money; "his career was in the gutter"; "all that work went down the sewer"; "pensions are in the toilet" gutter, sewer bad luck, ill luck, tough luck, misfortune - an unfortunate state resulting from unfavorable outcomes
	4.	toilet - the act of dressing and preparing yourself; "he made his morning toilet and went to breakfast" toilette grooming, dressing - the activity of getting dressed; putting on clothes

toilet

noun

1. lavatory, bathroom, loo (Brit. informal), bog (slang), gents or ladies, can (U.S. & Canad. slang), john (slang, chiefly U.S. & Canad.), head(s) (Nautical slang), throne (informal), closet, privy, cloakroom (Brit.), urinal, latrine, washroom, powder room, ablutions (Military informal), crapper (taboo slang), dunny (Austral. & old-fashioned N.Z. informal), water closet, khazi (slang), pissoir (French), little boy's room or little girl's room (informal), (public) convenience, W.C. She made him flush the pills down the toilet.

2. bathroom, washroom, gents or ladies (Brit. informal), privy, outhouse, latrine, powder room, water closet, pissoir (French), ladies' room, little boy's or little girl's room, W.C. I ran to the toilet, vomiting.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

Translations

مِرْحَاضمِرْحاض، حَمّام

toaletatoaletnízáchod

toilettoilette

Toilette Abort Klo

τουαλέταWCαποχωρητήριο λεκάνη

necesejo

inodoro lavabo servicios váter aseo

WCkäymäläkylpyhuoneläävämiestenhuone

toilettes toilette w.-c.wc cabinet

toalet

toalett

baðherbergiklósettklósett, snyrtingsalernisnyrting

gabinetto pulizia tazza toeletta toletta

トイレ

화장실

tualetinio popieriaus rulonastualetinis popieriustualetinis vanduo

tualete

toilet

toalett do omkledningsrom pynting toalett-

toaleta

banheiro casa de banho

туалет уборная унитаз нужник

toaletatoaletnýWC

stranišče

nužnik

toaletttoalettstoldasssc

ห้องส้วม

tuvaletyüz numarahelâ

nhà vệ sinh

厕所抽水马桶盥洗室

toilet

[ˈtɔɪlɪt]

A. N

1. (= lavatory)

1.1. (= room) → servicio m, wáter m, lavabo m, baño m (esp LAm)
"Toilets" → Servicios, Baño
to go to the toilet → ir al servicio or al baño
she's in the toilet → está en el servicio or el baño

1.2. (= installation) → wáter m, retrete m, inodoro m (euph, frm)
the toilet is blocked → se ha atascado el wáter or retrete
to throw sth down the toilet → tirar algo al wáter or retrete

2. (= dressing, washing etc) → aseo m

B. CPD toilet articles NPL → artículos mpl de tocador
toilet bag N → neceser m
toilet bowl N → taza f (de retrete)
toilet case N = toilet bag toilet pan N = toilet bowl toilet paper N → papel m higiénico
toilet requisites NPL = toilet articles toilet roll N → rollo m de papel higiénico
toilet seat N → asiento m de retrete
toilet set N → juego m de tocador
toilet soap N → jabón m de tocador
toilet tissue N = toilet paper toilet training N toilet training can be difficult → acostumbrar a un niño a ir solo al baño puede resultar difícil
toilet water N → agua f de colonia, colonia f

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

toilet

[ˈtɔɪlət]

(British) (= lavatory) → toilettes fpl
to go to the toilet → aller aux toilettes
to flush the toilet → tirer la chassetoilet bag n → trousse f de toilettetoilet bowl n → cuvette f des WCtoilet cubicle n → cabinet mtoilet paper n → papier m hygiénique

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

toilet

(= lavatory) → Toilette f, → Klosett nt (dated); to go to the toilet (esp Brit) → auf die Toilette gehen; she’s in the toilet/toilets → sie ist auf or in der Toilette; to put something down the toilet → etw in die Toilette werfen; the cat’s done the toilet on the carpet → die Katze hat auf den Teppich gemacht (inf)

(old) → Toilette f (geh)

toilet

in cpds → Toiletten-;

toilet bag

n (Brit) → Kulturbeutel m, → Toilettentasche f

toilet bowl

n → Toilettenbecken nt

toilet brush

n → Klobürste f (inf)

toilet case

n = toilet bag

toilet humour

n → Gossenhumor m

toilet paper

n → Toilettenpapier nt

toilet requisites

pl → Toilettenartikel pl

toilet

toilet roll

n → Rolle f → Toilettenpapier

toilet seat

n → Toilettensitz m, → Brille f (inf)

toilet set

n (= brush and comb) → Toilettengarnitur f; (= bathroom set) → Badezimmergarnitur f

toilet soap

n → Toilettenseife f

toilet tissue

n → Toilettenpapier nt

toilet training

n → Erziehung f → zur Sauberkeit; has he started his toilet yet? → geht er schon auf den Topf?

toilet water

n → Duftwasser nt, → Eau de Toilette nt

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

toilet

[ˈtɔɪlɪt]

1. n

a. (Brit) (lavatory) → gabinetto
to go to the toilet → andare al gabinetto or al bagno
she's in the toilet → è in gabinetto or in bagno

b. (old) (dressing, washing) → toilette f
she was at her toilet → si stava facendo la toilette

2. adj (soap) → da toilette

toilet

(ˈtoilit) noun

(a room containing) a receptacle for the body's waste matter, usually with a supply of water for washing this away; a lavatory. Do you want to go to the toilet?; Where is the ladies' toilet?; (also adjective) a toilet seat.

ˈtoilet-paper noun

paper for use in a toilet.

ˈtoilet-roll noun

a roll of toilet-paper.

ˈtoilet-water noun

a type of perfumed liquid for the skin.

toilet

→ مِرْحَاض toaleta toilet Toilette τουαλέτα inodoro, váter wc toilettes toalet gabinetto トイレ 화장실 toilet toalett toaleta banheiro, casa de banho туалет toalett ห้องส้วม tuvalet nhà vệ sinh 抽水马桶

toi·let

1. n. servicio, inodoro;

2. limpieza relacionada con un procedimiento médico o quirúrgico;

___ paper → papel higiénico.

toilet

n inodoro, retrete m (esp. Esp); — bowl taza del inodoro or retrete; — paper papel higiénico, papel sanitario (Mex, CA, Carib)

References in classic literature ?

His brown hair was somewhat tumbled; for, while the ancient sculptors are said to have known eighteen methods of arranging Minerva's tresses, Passepartout was familiar with but one of dressing his own: three strokes of a large-tooth comb completed his toilet.

View in context

Seeing, now, that there were no curtains to the window, and that the street being very narrow, the house opposite commanded a plain view into the room, and observing more and more the indecorous figure that Queequeg made, staving about with little else but his hat and boots on; I begged him as well as I could, to accelerate his toilet somewhat, and particularly to get into his pantaloons as soon as possible.

View in context

The young men were similarly employed; and the fair damsels, including Fayaway, were anointing themselves with 'aka', arranging their long tresses, and performing other matters connected with the duties of the toilet.

View in context

She praised the Rostovs' toilets. They praised her taste and toilet, and at eleven o'clock, careful of their coiffures and dresses, they settled themselves in their carriages and drove off.

View in context

After adding a table and a basin, for the purposes of the toilet, the accommodation which Mr.

View in context

Far from us be the indecorum of assisting, even in imagination, at a maiden lady's toilet! Our story must therefore await Miss Hepzibah at the threshold of her chamber; only presuming, meanwhile, to note some of the heavy sighs that labored from her bosom, with little restraint as to their lugubrious depth and volume of sound, inasmuch as they could be audible to nobody save a disembodied listener like ourself.

View in context

-Indian Dogs.-Return of a Horse-Stealing Party.- An Indian Deputation.-Fresh Alarms.-Return of a Successful War Party.-Dress of the Arickaras.- Indian Toilet.- Triumphal Entry of the War Party.

View in context

A faint light glimmered through a ground-glass pane over the door; and was dimly reflected by the toilet mirror, in its usual place against the window.

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The uninvited guest Free and easy manners Salutary jokes A prodigal son Exit of the glutton A sudden change in fortune Danger of a visit to poor relations Plucking of a prosperous man A vagabond toilet A substitute for the very fine horse Hard travelling The uninvited guest and the patriarchal colt A beggar on horseback A catastrophe Exit of the merry vagabond

View in context

When I descended thence--having divested myself of all travelling encumbrances, and arranged my toilet with due consideration for the feelings of my lady hostess, she conducted me herself to the room I was to occupy when I chose to be alone, or when she was engaged with visitors, or obliged to be with her mother-in-law, or otherwise prevented, as she said, from enjoying the pleasure of my society.

View in context

With those words, Lady Montbarry left Miss Lockwood to make a hasty toilet for dinner.

View in context

At M- I had time before the coach started to replenish my forces with a hearty breakfast, and to obtain the refreshment of my usual morning's ablutions, and the amelioration of some slight change in my toilet, and also to despatch a short note to my mother