toilet
Americannoun
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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:
However, it's important to note that personal care takes in things like helping frail elderly people wash and dress and go to the toilet.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
For Clare, a grain and beef farmer, coping with the illness has required bringing rolls of toilet paper with him atop his tractor.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
ALTER: The ideal is a lower toilet, which better suits our anatomy, with grab bars that make it safer to get on and off.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
News organizations devote way less space to mergers, acquisitions or spinoffs involving toilet paper, paint or breakfast cereal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
We stopped at a public toilet, and I waited outside while Frankie went in.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
Both terminals at Gatwick Airport are being affected by a water supply issue, with toilets reported to be out of order and restaurants closed.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
But these days, builders and renovators often choose taller, “comfort height” toilets, usually with good intentions, like accommodating the disabled.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
WSJ: But lower toilets are harder, and therefore more treacherous, to get on and off of.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
Publican Garry Rees-Andrews has a member of staff at The New Cornish Arms on "fly-watch" throughout their shift to make sure the seating areas, kitchen and toilets are fly-free.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
If they have blood in their toilets, something is wrong.
From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri
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.
