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 the seeds in a single layer on a dishtowel to thoroughly dry, at least 3 hours, preferably 12 or more.

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

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

From The New Yorker • Aug. 22, 2016

The taste is polarizing too—with comparisons ranging from “someone wrung out a dishtowel into a glass” to “succulent cake batter.”

From Slate • Aug. 3, 2016

Gertrustein was on her back porch, hanging a dishtowel on the clothesline there.

From "All About Sam" by Lois Lowry

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