towel

American  

[tou-uhl, toul] / ˈtaʊ əl, taʊl /

noun

1. an absorbent cloth or paper for wiping and drying something wet, as one for the hands, face, or body after washing or bathing.

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verb (used with object)

toweled, toweling, towelled, towelling

1. to wipe or dry with a towel.

idioms

1. throw in the towel, to concede defeat; give up; yield.

   He vowed he would never throw in the towel.

towel British  

/ ˈtaʊəl /

noun

1. a square or rectangular piece of absorbent cloth or paper used for drying the body

2. a similar piece of cloth used for drying plates, cutlery, etc

3. See throw in

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verb

1. to dry or wipe with a towel

2. slang to assault or beat (a person)

towel More Idioms  

1. see crying towel; throw in the sponge (towel).

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Etymology

Origin of towel

1250–1300; Middle English (noun) < Old French toaille cloth for washing or wiping < West Germanic *thwahliō (> Old High German dwahilla, akin to dwahal bath); cognate with Gothic thwahl, thwēal washing

Example Sentences

If you faced challenges in your business or burned out in your career, did you throw in the towel or step back and breathe, and ask what your body was telling you?

From MarketWatch

A towel to lay on this scratchy straw.

From Literature

In torrential rain, Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy regularly dried his gloves, but the ball boys repeatedly tried to discard his towel.

From BBC

I startle at the sound of a voice, and then squint into darkness to make out a neighbor leaning out her front door, drying her hands on a dish towel and smiling ruefully in apology.

From Literature

As the show began, the singer noticed a puddle at the edge of the stage that could have caused a slip hazard, so he grabbed a towel to mop it up.

From BBC

Related Words

• bake
• blot
• deplete
• drain
• empty
• evaporate
• exhaust
• sear
• shrivel
• wilt
• wipe
• wither