loo
1 Americannoun
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a card game in which forfeits are paid into a pool.
-
the forfeit or sum paid into the pool.
-
the fact of being looed.
verb (used with object)
noun
verb (used with or without object)
noun
noun
-
a gambling card game
-
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:
"Sometimes we'd work all night without food or a loo break. People were exhausted."
From BBC ● Jun. 1, 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 head of the production company behind hit TV drama Adolescence has joked that they won so many Emmys it was nearly impossible to even make a trip to the loo during the ceremony.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2025
The purported health risks of extended loo time have long circulated through doctors’ offices and news articles.
From Slate ● Sep. 12, 2025
After Vivian arrived on Tower Hill Road, Branwell had also started calling the toilet the loo.
From "Silent To The Bone" by E.L. Konigsburg
It also rained relentlessly, and there were no loos or food options anywhere in sight.
From BBC ● Feb. 27, 2026
It's more than 100 years since the first woman took her seat as an MP - there weren't even women's loos when Nancy Astor arrived.
From BBC ● Feb. 14, 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
The player who throws up his cards after the leading card is played, is looed.
From Enquire Within Upon Everything The Great Victorian Domestic Standby by Anonymous
Each player can change all or any of the five cards dealt, or throw up his hand, and escape being looed.
From Enquire Within Upon Everything The Great Victorian Domestic Standby by Anonymous
For playing out of turn or looking at the miss without taking it, the player is looed.
From Enquire Within Upon Everything The Great Victorian Domestic Standby by Anonymous
With ace of trumps only, the first player must lead it, or be 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
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.
