toilet
Americannoun
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toilets
plural
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a bathroom fixture consisting of a bowl, usually with a detachable, hinged seat and lid, and a device for flushing with water, used for defecation and urination.
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a lavatory.
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a bathroom.
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a dressing room, especially one containing a bath.
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the act or process of dressing or grooming oneself, including bathing and arranging the hair.
to make one's toilet; busy at her toilet.
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the dress or costume of a person; any particular costume.
toilet of white silk.
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Surgery. the cleansing of a part after childbirth or a wound after an operation.
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Archaic. dressing table.
idioms
noun
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another word for lavatory
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old-fashioned the act of dressing and preparing oneself
to make one's toilet
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old-fashioned a dressing table or the articles used when making one's toilet
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rare costume
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the cleansing of a wound, etc, after an operation or childbirth
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of toilet
1530–40; < French toilette small cloth, doily, dressing table, equivalent to toile toil 2 + -ette -et
Explanation
When you've really got to go, you need the toilet. It's what you use to relieve yourself after you've drunk way too much lemonade. A toilet is the most basic feature of a modern bathroom. You can also use this word for the room that houses it, as in "Excuse me, where is the toilet?" — although in the U.S. most people say "bathroom" or "restroom" instead. Another meaning of toilet is "the routine of washing and dressing," and this old-fashioned definition is the original one, from a word meaning "cover or bag for clothes."
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:
Ann Keen was 17 and working in a toilet roll factory in Ewloe, Flintshire, when she was asked out by a handsome salesman.
From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026
When Hoyos-Munoz stood atop the toilet in his cell, officers went back in and placed him on a bunk in a prone position.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2026
The two men spent 80 consecutive hours holed up and writing “on printer sheets, on tissues, on toilet paper,” according to Mr. St. George.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
"We have a collective responsibility on what we buy, what we flush down the toilet."
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
In spite of his name he wasn’t bright, and he had yet to master toilet training, although he was old enough to attend school.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
"It's a busy town. Some more places to sit, and especially some more public toilets, would be money well spent," Carol said.
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026
Families of service members detailed severe shortages of fresh water and food, overflowing toilets, broken facilities and a complete breakdown in mental health support.
From Salon ● Aug. 29, 2026
The Dodgers instituted a private player-only plane and added Japanese-style toilets after then-recruit Roki Sasaki asked.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
There are showers, and some of the most disgusting-looking toilets I've seen since Trainspotting - perhaps a homage to Leith's other great cultural export.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
Some kids like to plug the toilets with big wads of toilet paper, but I don’t suggest you try doing that.
From "Because of Mr. Terupt" by Rob Buyea
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.
