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:
Seven years on, Miriam has become more insistent in her denial that what happened to Oscar may never be known, despite the ominous discovery of his wallet in a public bathroom toilet.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
"I'd love every venue to have a poster in every toilet and every member of staff to know what to do."
From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026
It’s my mother’s bathroom as I sit on the toilet seat and watch her getting ready for hours and hours, primping things I didn’t know could be primped.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026
Rather than engage in a diplomatic spat, Visit Norway embraced the president’s characterization, promoting restrooms that include the award-winning Stegastein viewpoint toilet overlooking Aurlandsfjord and the triangular Golden Toilet on Senja Island.
From Salon ● Oct. 31, 2026
I wrap the doll in butcher paper and hide it in the rafters of the storage room next to the toilet block.
From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron
House managers say they draw the line at dirty work like cleaning toilets.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026
They mapped out public toilets in some of the poorest regions of the city, created bus routes databases and fought slum clearance policies.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026
The campaign features some of the country’s most architecturally impressive toilets, many situated along scenic routes overlooking fjords, mountains and waterfalls.
From Salon ● Oct. 31, 2026
Molly Fenton says many pupils do not use the toilets in school because "they're embarrassed"
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
The cats and dog drank from the toilets, having despaired of getting their water bowls filled every morning, and everyone in the family talked to one another at the top of their lungs.
From "Chasing Vermeer" by Blue Balliett
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
