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

She remembers: “I had a walkie-talkie, I would hand per diems out to people, I would run the envelopes around, and bring my dad a towel after the show, stuff like that.”

From Los Angeles Times • May 29, 2026

Swallowing the massive pills felt like forcing a brick down a paper towel roll.

From Slate • May 23, 2026

In his arguments to court, he said his tour operator had failed to enforce the resort's ban on towel reservations.

From BBC • May 10, 2026

On Thursday, Platner's heavyweight rival for the Democratic nomination, current state Governor Janet Mills, threw in the towel.

From Barron's • May 3, 2026

There were some dirty socks, a water bottle, school notebooks, homework assignments, a half-eaten granola bar, dirty T-shirts, and a dirty towel.

From "The Cinderella Ballet Mystery: Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew, #4" by Carolyn Keene

Related Words

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