loo
1 Americannoun
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loos
plural
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a card game in which forfeits are paid into a pool.
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the forfeit or sum paid into the pool.
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the fact of being looed.
verb (used with object)
noun
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loos
plural
verb (used with or without object)
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loos
plural
noun
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loos
plural
noun
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a gambling card game
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a stake used in this game
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of loo1
First recorded in 1665–75; short for lanterloo, from Dutch lanterlu, from French lantur(e)lu, a special use of a meaningless refrain of an old song
Origin of loo2
First recorded in 1935–40; of uncertain origin; perhaps from French lieux (d'aisances) “latrines, toilets,” literally, “places of ease”; perhaps a pun on the place name Waterloo, based on water closet
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:
I found a bacteria-eating virus in my loo - could it save your life?
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
"Sometimes we'd work all night without food or a loo break. People were exhausted."
From BBC ● Jun. 1, 2026
Ahead of the sale, Sotheby’s expert David Galperin said the house will install the golden loo in a fourth-floor bathroom within its new Manhattan headquarters.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 31, 2025
Unlike a wearable, which is easy enough to leave on your nightstand, the loo is something you can’t forget to use.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2025
“Nah, I have to fix the Meagers’ loo.
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
Things such as providing decent loos with an on-site cleaning team have proven popular, Castle says, as have the free shower facilities.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
Reflecting on her political career in 2016, she said: "I never went round looking for problems so I never found them. The only problem I found as a woman MP were there were insufficient loos."
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
“Have you seen our loos? They’re literally in a wooden shed and they’re cold,” Gyngell told the Telegraph, adding: “Service can be very haphazard and there’s nothing fancy or clever about our food.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 3, 2025
Once she read the part, Jones messaged Wood on Instagram before a chance meeting in the loos at the Baftas helped seal the deal.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2025
The corridors jam with weary war travelers, and the loos overflow with stink.
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
It looed like progress, so I reached out to Marc Mauer over at The Sentencing Project for his take on the reduction in federal prison population.
From Forbes ● Oct. 2, 2014
If he holds ace, or with ace turned up holds king, and fails to lead it, he is looed; similarly, with two or more trumps if he fails to lead the highest he is looed.
From Round Games with Cards A Practical Treatise on All the Most Popular Games, with Their Different Variations, and Hints for Their Practice by W. H. Peel
The player who looks at his own cards, or the miss out of his turn, is looed.
From Enquire Within Upon Everything The Great Victorian Domestic Standby by Anonymous
The player who looks at his neighbour's hand, either during the play or when they lie on the table, is looed.
From Enquire Within Upon Everything The Great Victorian Domestic Standby by Anonymous
A player infringing any of the rules, or playing in an irregular manner, is looed, and the amount of his winnings, if any, is left in the pool.
From Round Games with Cards A Practical Treatise on All the Most Popular Games, with Their Different Variations, and Hints for Their Practice by W. H. Peel
“Giving him the chance to come up here and show what he’s capable of doing on Saturday is also something we’re really looing forward to,” Marmol said.
From Seattle Times ● May 19, 2022
Crappie are fair with jigs looing for structure and brush piles.
From Washington Times ● Oct. 21, 2020
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
