toilet
Americannoun
-
a bathroom fixture consisting of a bowl, usually with a detachable, hinged seat and lid, and a device for flushing with water, used for defecation and urination.
-
a lavatory.
-
a bathroom.
-
a dressing room, especially one containing a bath.
-
the act or process of dressing or grooming oneself, including bathing and arranging the hair.
to make one's toilet; busy at her toilet.
-
the dress or costume of a person; any particular costume.
toilet of white silk.
-
Surgery. the cleansing of a part after childbirth or a wound after an operation.
-
Archaic. dressing table.
idioms
noun
-
another word for lavatory
-
old-fashioned the act of dressing and preparing oneself
to make one's toilet
-
old-fashioned a dressing table or the articles used when making one's toilet
-
rare costume
-
the cleansing of a wound, etc, after an operation or childbirth
Etymology
Origin of toilet
1530–40; < French toilette small cloth, doily, dressing table, equivalent to toile toil 2 + -ette -et
Explanation
When you've really got to go, you need the toilet. It's what you use to relieve yourself after you've drunk way too much lemonade. A toilet is the most basic feature of a modern bathroom. You can also use this word for the room that houses it, as in "Excuse me, where is the toilet?" — although in the U.S. most people say "bathroom" or "restroom" instead. Another meaning of toilet is "the routine of washing and dressing," and this old-fashioned definition is the original one, from a word meaning "cover or bag for clothes."
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.
The carrier also reportedly suffered significant problems with its toilet system while at sea.
From Barron's • May 17, 2026
When you're in town with your family and you need the toilet - time those 30 seconds and see where you get.
From BBC • May 13, 2026
More than 11,000 Americans are now turning 65 every day, and seven out of 10 will end up needing long-term care, which includes help with things like eating, bathing, using the toilet and managing medications.
From MarketWatch • May 13, 2026
With a hole for a toilet, and dirty mattresses "full of insects", conditions were "appalling", she said.
From Barron's • May 8, 2026
“Sure. Have you got any toilet paper rolls?”
From "Wolfie & Fly" by Cary Fagan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
