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tea towel

American  

noun

  1. a dishtowel.

tea towel British  

noun

  1. US name: dishtowel.  a towel for drying dishes and kitchen utensils

"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

Etymology

Origin of tea towel

First recorded in 1870–75

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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.

Pullman moved a nearby tea towel to reveal half a dozen custard creams.

From BBC • Sep. 30, 2025

Parton also released a limited-edition baking collection, which included a Dolly-inspired collectible tea towel, spatula and recipe cards alongside the mixes.

From Salon • Oct. 8, 2024

Remove bowl from mixer, cover with a tea towel or plate, and rest dough for 20 minutes.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 21, 2023

And so a moist tea towel left in a warm kitchen provides an ideal environment for bacteria to multiply.

From Salon • Jun. 29, 2023

“Well, you’ll get the hang of it eventually,” he said, patting her cheeks dry with a tea towel.

From "The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage" by Philip Pullman

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.