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lav

1 American  
[lav] / læv /

noun

Informal.

  1. lavatory.

LAV 2 American  

abbreviation

  1. lymphadenopathy-associated virus. AIDS virus

lav British  
/ læv /

noun

  1. informal short for 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 lav1

By shortening

Origin of LAV2

First recorded in 1980–85

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.

I’d sing the refrain, “Jesus loves me this I know,” as “Geez-suz lav me thiss ay know.”

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 25, 2023

BBC Homes Under the Hammer property expert Martin Roberts isn't surprised developers have a lav affair with old loos, because they've got many attractions some savvy investors are after.

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2022

“I walked downstairs and they warned me not to go to the bathroom because there were too many people in front of the lav door,” said Coleman.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 1, 2021

“Retired flight attendant here. The scene while sitting next to the lav, scarfing down a salad and showing how to open the door made me laugh out loud,” another commented.

From Fox News • Apr. 2, 2020

I made it four whole days avoiding him—taking different staircases, using different hallways, only going to my locker during lav breaks.

From "Ask the Passengers" by A.S. King

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.