Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for water closet. Search instead for Paper closes.
Synonyms

water closet

American  

noun

water closets plural
  1. an enclosed room or compartment containing a toilet bowl fitted with a mechanism for flushing.

  2. Older Use. a privy or bathroom. WC, w.c.


water closet British  

noun

  1. a lavatory flushed by water

  2. a small room that has a lavatory

"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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of water closet

First recorded in 1745–55

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.

Paar left his program after NBC censors cut a water closet joke from his monologue, which became one of the biggest TV industry controversies of that era.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 24, 2025

Squish Factor: The bathroom has a European-style water closet, but it’s a bit larger than many others I’ve seen.

From Salon • Feb. 22, 2025

Here are treasures from the Roman latrine to the Tudor garderobe to the Victorian water closet to the elegant “compactum.”

From New York Times • Nov. 23, 2024

Main bathrooms have quartz vanity tops and a water closet with elongated bowl.

From Washington Post • Aug. 2, 2022

She had a sitting room, a bedroom, and a small kitchen with a water closet.

From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Look it up. Learn it forever.

Remember "water closet" for good with VocabTrainer. Expand your vocabulary effortlessly with personalized learning tools that adapt to your goals.

Take me to Vocabulary.com