Synonyms

restroom

American

[rest- room, room] / ˈrɛstˌ rum, ˌrʊm /

Or rest room

noun

rooms or a room having a sink, toilet, and other facilities for use by employees, visitors, etc., as in a store, theater, or office.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

restrooms

plural

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:

restroom vs. bathroom

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.

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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:

restroom restrooms

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

A Times reporter attending the dinner was forced to shelter in a restroom.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 25, 2026

There are several ways germs can enter your body in a public restroom:

From Science Daily ● Apr. 13, 2026

Modernizing locker rooms and ensuring restroom access is visible and equitably placed throughout the course aren’t cosmetic upgrades.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 9, 2026

There was no heat, no air-conditioning, no fan, and no restroom.

From "The Freedom Writers Diary" by The Freedom Writers

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

Some people mistakenly ran into the restrooms and lost consciousness when they were looking for another escape route, authorities said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026

There’s an Irish airline executive named Michael O’Leary who so loves upcharges and cost-cutting that, over the years, he has floated selling standing-room flights, charging overweight passengers more, and installing coin-operated restrooms.

From Barron's ● May 8, 2026

Portable restrooms and hydration stations will be available.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 30, 2026

Emily, James, and Matthew hugged the wall next to the restrooms to stay out of view of anyone on the lower level until footsteps thundered beneath them and then faded.

From "Book Scavenger" by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023