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  • gents'
    gents'
    noun
    the gents, a men's room.
  • gents
    gents
    noun
    (functioning as singular) a men's public lavatory

gents'

American  
[jents] / dʒɛnts /

noun

(used with a singular verb)
  1. Informal. the gents, a men's room.


gents British  
/ dʒɛnts /

noun

  1. informal (functioning as singular) a men's public 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

Etymology

Origin of gents'

First recorded in 1920–25; see origin at gent 1, -s 3

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.

See Examples For:

The gents' at South End Green near Hampstead Heath - a listed building - is a Victorian underground lavatory block that has been lavishly restored to its former glory.

From BBC Jan. 16, 2022

I first interviewed Andrew Bacevich, the soldier turned scholar, after he spoke at the Hope Club, an old-line gents’ establishment in Providence, Rhode Island.

From Salon May 15, 2016

Further sources of polonium were found on and below the gents’ hand-dryer, at over 5,000 counts per second.

From The Guardian Jan. 19, 2016

He cut the number of patterns from several thousand to only four, intended solely for the gents' jacket market.

From BBC Jun. 8, 2013

“Oh, no. No, no, no, no. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. That is just what there isn’t. He must have stepped into the gents’ room.”

From "The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge" by M.T. Anderson and Eugene Yelchin

FBI Director Kash Patel on Wednesday highlighted a separate partnership with the UFC to teach federal gents "amazing tactics so they can safeguard American lives."

From Barron's Jun. 11, 2026

“One of the gents has said on many occasions if he wasn’t in the group he wouldn’t be here now – the group has saved his life.”

From BBC Oct. 28, 2024

“My cliquish world consisted of ladies and gents from Manhattan’s exclusive private schools and preppies down from New England boarding schools who played bit-parts on weekends and holidays,” she wrote.

From New York Times Oct. 10, 2022

It’s definitely all about the gents for the foreseeable future.

From Slate Sep. 8, 2022

"Come right through here, gents," he said while leading us toward the back of the apartment.

From "When I Was the Greatest" by Jason Reynolds

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