sauna

[ saw-nuh, sou- ]

/ ˈsɔ nə, ˈsaʊ- /

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See synonyms for sauna on Thesaurus.com

noun

a bath that uses dry heat to induce perspiration, and in which steam is produced by pouring water on heated stones.

a bathhouse or room, usually of wood, equipped for such a bath.

verb (used without object), sau·naed, sau·na·ing.

to take a sauna: to sauna after exercising.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of sauna

Borrowed into English from Finnish around 1880–85

Words nearby sauna

sault, Saulteaux, Sault Sainte Marie, Sault Ste. Marie, Sault Ste. Marie Canals, sauna, sauncy, Saunders, Saundra, saunter, -saur

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use sauna in a sentence

Also, don’t miss the city’s new Sky Lagoon, with its swim-up Champagne bar and fjord-view sauna and natural hot springs.
The 25 Best Fall Trips in the World|jversteegh|August 9, 2021|Outside Online
The sauna effect is a thing of the past, as are pit zips—and NeoShell’s supple, four-way stretchiness is a far cry from stiff waterproof shells.
11 Times Polartec Revolutionized How We Dress|bsmith|August 7, 2021|Outside Online
Instead, she kept her weekly Thursday date at a local sauna, coolly confident that she had time on her hands.
Tschüss: OZY’s Angela Merkel Retrospective|Charu Kasturi|July 29, 2021|Ozy
They sometimes spend more than half an hour there talking, joking and laughing, as if they were in a sauna.
Locked up in the Land of Liberty: Part II|Michael K. Lavers|July 14, 2021|Washington Blade

She gamely gets her armpits professionally sniffed, and she joins naked, sweating audiences for sauna theater.
‘The Joy of Sweat’ will help you make peace with perspiration|Bethany Brookshire|July 13, 2021|Science News
The amenities include a fitness room, a sauna, a beauty parlor, and a karaoke setup.
Inside the ‘Surprisingly Great’ North Korean Hacker Hotel|Michael Daly|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There is a breeze, and that is the only thing that differentiates it from a sauna.
Whatever You Do Someone Will Die. A Short Story About Impossible Choices in Iraq|Nathan Bradley Bethea|August 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Our early-evening appointment with the sauna was canceled due to “technical reasons.”
For Ukrainians on Holiday, the Carpathians Are the New Crimea|Vijai Maheshwari|July 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And I would rather work as a security guard for a sauna full of beautiful girls!
Ukrainian Troops Surrender to Unarmed Pro-Russian Protesters|Anna Nemtsova|April 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Russians believe the best way to dry out from vodka saturation is with a sauna session and a beating with birch branches.
The Wildest Hangover Cures From Around the World|Nina Strochlic|November 29, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Suyettar thought that this would be a fine chance to wash the dust from her eyes, so she let them lead her to the sauna.
Mighty Mikko|Parker Fillmore
The sauna, or bath-house, is always a separate building; and there Finnish people take extremely hot baths almost every evening.
Kalevala, Volume I (of 2)|Anonymous
There are many Finns in the community who still use the sauna, or steam bath, of their native land.
North Dakota|Various
The first building which she erected was not the dwelling-house but the Sauna or bath-house.
Our Little Finnish Cousin|Clara Vostrovsky Winlow
Slowly she marched out of the castle, across the courtyard, and over to the sauna.
Mighty Mikko|Parker Fillmore

British Dictionary definitions for sauna

sauna

/ (ˈsɔːnə) /

noun

an invigorating bath originating in Finland in which the bather is subjected to hot steam, usually followed by a cold plunge or by being lightly beaten with birch twigs

the place in which such a bath is taken

Word Origin for sauna

C20: from Finnish

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

sauna

Origin of sauna

Words nearby sauna

Words related to sauna

How to use sauna in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for sauna

Word Origin for sauna