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Synonyms

loo

1 American  
[loo] / lu /

noun

plural

loos

  1. a card game in which forfeits are paid into a pool.

  2. the forfeit or sum paid into the pool.

  3. the fact of being looed.

verb (used with object)

looed, looing

  1. to subject to a forfeit at loo.

loo 2 American  
[loo] / lu /

noun

British Informal.

plural

loos

  1. toilet.

loo 3 American  
[loo] / lu /

verb (used with or without object)

Chiefly Northern U.S.
looed, looing,

plural

loos

  1. low.

loo 4 American  
[loo] / lu /

noun

plural

loos, looed, looing

  1. Scots. love.

loo 1 British  
/ luː /

noun

  1. a gambling card game

  2. a stake used in this game

"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
loo 2 British  
/ luː /

noun

  1. an informal word 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
loo 3 British  
/ luː /

verb

  1. a variant spelling of lou

"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 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.

Particular attention was paid to their Universal Waste Management System, otherwise known as the loo.

From BBC • Apr. 11, 2026

"We need to stop flushing crop and tree-growing nutrients down the loo, and start using them to increase our fertiliser security. After all, we're not about to run out of urine any time soon."

From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026

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

The purported health risks of extended loo time have long circulated through doctors’ offices and news articles.

From Slate • Sep. 12, 2025

He pushed the wheel back in, went too far this time, and the plane’s nose went below the horizon and the engine speed increased with the shallow dive. loo much.

From "Hatchet" by Gary Paulsen

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.