towel

American  

[tou-uhl, toul] / ˈtaʊ əl, taʊl /

noun

1. 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)

toweled, toweling, towelled, towelling

1. to wipe or dry with a towel.

idioms

1. throw in the towel, to concede defeat; give up; yield.

   He vowed he would never throw in the towel.

towel British  

/ ˈtaʊəl /

noun

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

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

3. See throw in

---

verb

1. to dry or wipe with a towel

2. slang to assault or beat (a person)

towel More Idioms  

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

---

Etymology

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

Explanation

When you get out of the shower, the first thing you do is grab a towel and dry off. A towel is a piece of material that's used to absorb moisture. Towels come in many sizes and styles, from enormous terrycloth beach towels to sheets of paper towel you use for wiping up kitchen spills. What they have in common is absorbency—they're made to soak up liquids. You can also use towel as a verb: "The dog is soaking wet! Towel her off before you let her on your bed!" And when you've utterly given up on something, use the boxing-related phrase "throw in the towel."

Example Sentences

It won’t end in the next couple of weeks, if you are banking on the Iranians throwing in the towel.

From Barron's • May 15, 2026

In his arguments to court, he said that his tour operator had failed to enforce the resort's ban on towel reserving, and did not confront guests who were engaging in the practice.

From BBC • May 6, 2026

Once they reached the extra period, well, it was over the moment an angrily stunned Sengun threw a towel to the floor in front of the Rockets’ bench moments after the end of regulation.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 25, 2026

It’s a treat to use one towel after the shower, not the stack housekeeping left for your entire stay.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026

Now that the poultice had been applied and her head wrapped firmly in a towel so that it might set there for an hour before rinsing, Penelope sat down to read her long-awaited correspondence.

From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood

Related Words

• bake
• blot
• deplete
• drain
• empty
• evaporate
• exhaust
• sear
• shrivel
• wilt
• wipe
• wither