terry

¹ American  

[ter-ee] / ˈtɛr i /

noun

plural

terries

1. the loop formed by the pile of a fabric when left uncut.

2. Also called terry cloth.  a pile fabric, usually of cotton, with loops on both sides, as in a Turkish towel.

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adjective

1. made of such a fabric.

   a terry bathrobe.

2. having the pile loops uncut.

   terry velvet.

Terry ² American  

[ter-ee] / ˈtɛr i /

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.

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terry ¹ British  

/ 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

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Terry ² British  

/ ˈtɛrɪ /

noun

1. Dame Ellen. 1847–1928, British actress, noted for her Shakespearean roles opposite Sir Henry Irving and for her correspondence with George Bernard Shaw

2. ( John ) Quinlan (ˈkwɪnlən). born 1937, British architect, noted for his works in neoclassical style, such as the Richmond riverside project (1984)

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Etymology

Origin of terry

First recorded in 1775–85; perhaps variant of terret

Example Sentences

I feel suffocated and claustrophobic, and my heart rate accelerates as the terry cloth towers batter my car from all sides, and I experience my deepest fear: a loss of control.

From Salon • Jul. 21, 2024

One of those factories is 1888 Mills LLC’s plant in Griffin, Ga., which has manufactured terry cloth items like towels since it bought the more than century-old mill in 1996.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 31, 2024

These towels, which come in large and extra large sizes, take up less space than terry cloth towels.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 2, 2022

"She came out of her trailer in a big terry cloth bathrobe… when she took off that robe, all of us in the company were just beside ourselves because the transformation was so amazing."

From BBC • Aug. 9, 2022

I was wearing my oversize terry cloth Victoria's Secret bathrobe over pajamas while we waited for my parents to return home.

From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi