terry

¹

[ ter-ee ]

noun

, plural ter·ries.

1. the loop formed by the pile of a fabric when left uncut.
2. Also called terry cloth. a pile fabric, usually of cotton, with loops on both sides, as in a Turkish towel.

adjective

1. made of such a fabric:

   a terry bathrobe.

2. having the pile loops uncut:

   terry velvet.

Terry

²

[ ter-ee ]

noun

1. Bill William Harold Terry, 1898–1989, U.S. baseball player and manager: Baseball Hall of Fame 1954.
2. Clark, 1920–2015, U.S. jazz trumpet and flugelhorn player and singer.
3. Dame Ellen Alice Ellen Terry, 1847–1928, English actress, the leading Shakespearean and comic stage actress of her time.
4. Megan Marguerite Duffy, 1932–2023, U.S. playwright noted for her contributions to avant-garde theater in the 1960s.
5. a male given name, form of Terrence or Theodore.
6. a female given name, form of Teresa or Theresa.

Terry

¹

/ ˈtɛrɪ /

noun

1. TerryEllen, Dame18471928FBritishTHEATRE: actress Dame Ellen. 1847–1928, British actress, noted for her Shakespearean roles opposite Sir Henry Irving and for her correspondence with George Bernard Shaw
2. Terry(John) Quinlan1937MBritishARCHITECTURE: architect ( John ) Quinlan (ˈkwɪnlən). born 1937, British architect, noted for his works in neoclassical style, such as the Richmond riverside project (1984)

terry

²

/ ˈtɛrɪ /

noun

1. an uncut loop in the pile of towelling or a similar fabric
2. 1. a fabric with such a pile on both sides
   2. ( as modifier )

      a terry towel

Word History and Origins

Origin of terry¹

First recorded in 1775–85; perhaps variant of terret

Word History and Origins

Origin of terry¹

C18: perhaps variant of terret

Example Sentences

Taken together across the four episodes, the stories about and from Terry show a man who was desperate for an answer that’s impossible to find.

From Time

“This circuit split is untenable,” Terry’s legal team argues in his petition, pointing out “geography alone now determines” whether “countless” people serving low-level crack cocaine convictions can apply for sentence reduction.

From Time

Terry will also address housing stability by leveraging federal housing dollars and working to establish safe and inclusive shelters.

From Washington Blade

Terry, who did much of the mapping work at ATAC, had spent four years as a contractor with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency working on American drone strikes.

From MIT Technology Review

When the region was hit by a powerful windstorm last September, Terry flew a drone over massive piles of downed trees and brush collected by the city.

From MIT Technology Review

Terry Castle has this great book called The Professor, which came out after I was in grad school.

From The Daily Beast

At its height in the 1920s, Terry noted, the Klan wielded real political influence, boasting a membership upwards of four million.

From The Daily Beast

Don Terry, a senior writer at the Southern Poverty Law Center, doubts it.

From The Daily Beast

The film holds a special resonance for Jones, since Terry also served as his mentor.

From The Daily Beast

Clark [Terry] always had the ability to put young kids on his shoulders.

From The Daily Beast

Then the gang did deliberately combine to waylay and attack Lieutenant Overton and Terry?

From Project Gutenberg

Further, Lieutenants Overton and Terry were authorized to publish this letter in any way that they chose.

From Project Gutenberg

"I hope we'll have as good luck with each step upward," beamed young Terry.

From Project Gutenberg

"Mr. Johnson is first lieutenant of F company, your company, Mr. Terry," stated the major.

From Project Gutenberg

"I don't suppose Terry or myself will have the luck to be picked for this sort of border patrol work, if it comes," suggested Hal.

From Project Gutenberg