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dishtowel

American

[dish-tou-uhl] / ˈdɪʃˌtaʊ əl /

noun

a towel for drying dishes.

dishtowel British

/ ˈdɪʃˌtaʊəl /

noun

Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): tea towel. a towel for drying dishes and kitchen utensils

"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

Etymology

Origin of dishtowel

First recorded in 1865–70; dish + towel

Compare meaning

How does dishtowel compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

tea towel vs. dishtowel

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.

Spread them in a single layer on a dishtowel to thoroughly dry, at least 3 hours.

From Washington Times • Oct. 26, 2023

Or fashion your own sheath, even if it’s just a dishtowel secured with rubber bands.

From Washington Post • Nov. 15, 2019

Thick blue cotton is traditional, but a dishtowel, or a square cut from an old shirt will be fine.

From Slate • Jul. 22, 2019

Porter’s mother went into a closet and pulled down an object wrapped in a thinning dishtowel.

From The New Yorker • Aug. 22, 2016

She covered the bread basket with a dishtowel that had, he suddenly noticed, the Ten Commandments printed on it.

From "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023