restroom
Americannoun
-
restrooms
plural
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of restroom
An Americanism dating back to 1895–1900
Compare meaning
How does restroom compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
A restroom is a public bathroom or lavatory. You might stop at a fast food restaurant during a long drive to use the restroom and buy some fries. You'll find restrooms in restaurants, libraries, schools, highway rest areas, and shopping malls, among other places. Many restrooms are open to the public at large, while others are reserved for customers. While the term restroom is extremely common in the U.S., a restroom in Britain doesn't usually contain a toilet — it is simply a place to sit and rest. And in Canada, it's more often called a washroom.
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:
Once a staffer was identified, the agitators would follow him to his destination, including the restroom, where they would wait outside for the aide and immediately begin recording him when he came out.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
In Gatlinburg, Tenn., police in May freed a bear that locked itself in a hotel restroom.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
They had become separated because of the untimely need of a restroom visit, and with the help of the Secret Service he got to her quickly.
From Salon ● May 1, 2026
Inside the restroom, Quinton crouched near a corner.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 26, 2026
Then he walked into the men’s restroom and looked at himself in the mirror.
From "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman
These corridors would include infrastructure such as shared sinks, power, lighting, shade and restrooms.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
The FDA team probed everything from Taylor’s irrigation water to portable restrooms on farms and medications provided to members of the company’s harvest crews.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
Customers would instinctively have run away from the fire, towards the back where the restrooms were, Busakorn tells BBC Thai.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
Mats van der Plaats, who traveled to Kansas City from the Netherlands, was struck by the giant exit signs in the restrooms.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026
The moment the amidah ended, he muttered, “I’ll be back in a sec,” left his siddur on his chair, and slipped out of the hall toward the restrooms.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
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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.
