toilet
Americannoun
-
a bathroom fixture consisting of a bowl, usually with a detachable, hinged seat and lid, and a device for flushing with water, used for defecation and urination.
-
a lavatory.
-
a bathroom.
-
a dressing room, especially one containing a bath.
-
the act or process of dressing or grooming oneself, including bathing and arranging the hair.
to make one's toilet; busy at her toilet.
-
the dress or costume of a person; any particular costume.
toilet of white silk.
-
Surgery. the cleansing of a part after childbirth or a wound after an operation.
-
Archaic. dressing table.
idioms
noun
-
another word for lavatory
-
old-fashioned the act of dressing and preparing oneself
to make one's toilet
-
old-fashioned a dressing table or the articles used when making one's toilet
-
rare costume
-
the cleansing of a wound, etc, after an operation or childbirth
Etymology
Origin of toilet
1530–40; < French toilette small cloth, doily, dressing table, equivalent to toile toil 2 + -ette -et
Explanation
When you've really got to go, you need the toilet. It's what you use to relieve yourself after you've drunk way too much lemonade. A toilet is the most basic feature of a modern bathroom. You can also use this word for the room that houses it, as in "Excuse me, where is the toilet?" — although in the U.S. most people say "bathroom" or "restroom" instead. Another meaning of toilet is "the routine of washing and dressing," and this old-fashioned definition is the original one, from a word meaning "cover or bag for clothes."
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.
I have a similar complaint, but this relates to a toilet that is malfunctioning.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 10, 2026
He then parked at a Tesco store and went inside to use the toilet.
From BBC • Jun. 8, 2026
I replaced a broken toilet tank flush valve and I learned two Willie Nelson songs on the guitar.
From Los Angeles Times • May 30, 2026
The more clear-eyed Solange retorts: “Madame loves us like we’re the enamel of her toilet seat.”
From The Wall Street Journal • May 28, 2026
And the other one we use for a toilet.
From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
