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tea towel

American  

noun

tea towels plural
  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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

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.

See Examples For:

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

From BBC Sep. 30, 2025

Ms Ellis said her mother was so afraid of damaging the intricate golden statue, a winged woman holding an atom, that she carried it about in "a bag for life wrapped in a tea towel".

From BBC Jan. 20, 2024

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

From Seattle Times Nov. 21, 2023

In terms of tea towel hygiene, you should clean and thoroughly dry your kitchen towel at least once a day or after each use.

From Salon Jun. 29, 2023

Malcolm rinsed his hands under the kitchen tap and wiped them perfunctorily on a tea towel.

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

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