towel

[tou-uh l, toul]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR towel ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an absorbent cloth or paper for wiping and drying something wet, as one for the hands, face, or body after washing or bathing.

verb (used with object), tow·eled, tow·el·ing or (especially British) tow·elled, tow·el·ling.

to wipe or dry with a towel.

Idioms

throw in the towel, Informal. to concede defeat; give up; yield: He vowed he would never throw in the towel.

Origin of towel

1250–1300; Middle English (noun) < Old French toaille cloth for washing or wiping < West Germanic *thwahliō (> Old High German dwahilla, akin to dwahal bath); cognate with Gothic thwahl, thwēal washing

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for towel

sponge, cloth, dry, obliterate, rub, mop, remove, wash, erase, clean, dust, exhaust, drain, wilt, sear, evaporate, blot, wither, deplete, bake

Examples from the Web for towel

Contemporary Examples of towel

“They would bend my head back, put a towel over my face and pour water over the towel,” Harrison was quoted as saying.
The Luxury Homes That Torture and Your Tax Dollars Built
Michael Daly
December 12, 2014
Inside the bag, a second body was naked, wrapped in a towel, and almost decapitated.
Hong Kong’s High-Flying British Psycho Killer Suspect
Nico Hines, Tom Sykes
November 3, 2014
The cyclist had turned the heads of the women in the dorm on his way back from the showers, wearing just a towel.
When I Met Robin Williams in Afghanistan
Matthew Kaminski
August 20, 2014
Robin Williams was on his way to the showers down the hall, wearing a white t-shirt and a towel over his shoulder.
When I Met Robin Williams in Afghanistan
Matthew Kaminski
August 20, 2014
A naked dancer held a towel around his waist as he slicks back his hair in the ladies toilets.
Inside London's Underground Burlesque and Fetish Scene
Liza Foreman
August 12, 2014

Historical Examples of towel

He had as little occasion for a towel as Jonas had for a start.
Life And Adventures Of Martin Chuzzlewit
Charles Dickens
Mr Sweedlepipe turned aside to the towel, and wiped his eyes with it.
Life And Adventures Of Martin Chuzzlewit
Charles Dickens
Briskly rubbing his gray head with a towel, he was eyeing my evening clothes.
The Harbor
Ernest Poole
"Damn, my hands are wet," he said aloud, and picked up a towel.
Changing Winds
St. John G. Ervine
Joe answered with a grating laugh, and then with a burr he applied a towel to his face.
The Shadow of a Crime
Hall Caine

British Dictionary definitions for towel

towel

noun

a square or rectangular piece of absorbent cloth or paper used for drying the body

a similar piece of cloth used for drying plates, cutlery, etc

throw in the towel See throw in (def. 4)

verb -els, -elling or -elled or US -els, -eling or -eled (tr)

to dry or wipe with a towel

(often foll by up) Australian slang to assault or beat (a person)

Word Origin for towel

C13: from Old French toaille, of Germanic origin; related to Old High German dwahal bath, Old Saxon twahila towel, Gothic thwahan to wash

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for towel

late 13c., from Old French toaille (12c.), from Frankish *thwahlja, from Proto-Germanic *thwakhlijon (cf. Old Saxon thwahila, Middle Dutch dwale "towel," Dutch dwaal "altar cloth," Old High German dwehila "towel," German dialectal Zwehle "napkin"); related to German zwagen, Old English þwean "to wash." Spanish toalla, Italian tovaglia are Germanic loan-words.

1836, from towel (n.). Related: Towelled; towelling.

Idioms and Phrases with towel

towel

see crying towel; throw in the sponge (towel).