terry

[ ter-ee ]

noun,plural ter·ries.
  1. the loop formed by the pile of a fabric when left uncut.

  2. Also called terry cloth . a pile fabric, usually of cotton, with loops on both sides, as in a Turkish towel.

adjective
  1. made of such a fabric: a terry bathrobe.

  2. having the pile loops uncut: terry velvet.

Origin of terry

1
First recorded in 1775–85; perhaps variant of terret

Other definitions for Terry (2 of 2)

Terry
[ ter-ee ]

noun
  1. Bill William Harold Terry, 1898–1989, U.S. baseball player and manager: Baseball Hall of Fame 1954.

  2. Clark, 1920–2015, U.S. jazz trumpet and flugelhorn player and singer.

  1. Dame Ellen Alice Ellen Terry, 1847–1928, English actress, the leading Shakespearean and comic stage actress of her time.

  2. Megan Marguerite Duffy, 1932–2023, U.S. playwright noted for her contributions to avant-garde theater in the 1960s.

  3. a male given name, form of Terrence or Theodore.

  4. a female given name, form of Teresa or Theresa.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use terry in a sentence

  • The three Miss Terries were there, but no Annie; which was a great disappointment to me.

    Jane Austen, Her Life and Letters | William Austen-Leigh and Richard Arthur Austen-Leigh
  • Which is just about what happened when the Terries set out to rediscover the colonies, after all.

    The Lost Kafoozalum | Pauline Ashwell

British Dictionary definitions for terry (1 of 2)

terry

/ (ˈtɛrɪ) /


nounplural -ries
  1. an uncut loop in the pile of towelling or a similar fabric

    • a fabric with such a pile on both sides

    • (as modifier): a terry towel

Origin of terry

1
C18: perhaps variant of terret

British Dictionary definitions for Terry (2 of 2)

Terry

/ (ˈtɛrɪ) /


noun
  1. Dame Ellen. 1847–1928, British actress, noted for her Shakespearean roles opposite Sir Henry Irving and for her correspondence with George Bernard Shaw

  2. (John) Quinlan (ˈkwɪnlən). born 1937, British architect, noted for his works in neoclassical style, such as the Richmond riverside project (1984)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012