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:
It was not until three years later, in 2010, that Lowri discovered the tapeworm when in a restaurant toilet and flushed it down the loo.
From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026
Chinese carmaker Seres has been granted a patent for what it calls an "in-vehicle toilet" that slides under a passenger's seat for visits to the loo while on the road.
From BBC ● Apr. 17, 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
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
“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
Ms Clark, who now lives in Glasgow, went through almost seven years of back-and-forth with the council, determined to stop the loos from being filled in with concrete.
From BBC ● Mar. 28, 2025
Pop-up loos were introduced in central London in 2002 to discourage street urination.
From BBC ● Feb. 8, 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 the first player possess two or three trumps, he must play the highest, or be looed.
From Enquire Within Upon Everything The Great Victorian Domestic Standby by Anonymous
Those who play their cards, either with or without changing, and do not gain a trick, are looed.
From Enquire Within Upon Everything The Great Victorian Domestic Standby by Anonymous
Each player who fails to win a trick is looed, and pays into the next pool the amount determined on as the loo.
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
“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.
