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urinal

American  
[yoor-uh-nl] / ˈyʊər ə nl /

noun

  1. a flushable wall fixture, as in a public lavatory, used by men for urinating.

  2. a building or enclosure containing such fixtures.

  3. a receptacle to receive the urine of a person with urinary incontinence or that of a bedridden person.

urinal British  
/ ˈjʊərɪ-, jʊˈraɪnəl /

noun

  1. a sanitary fitting, esp one fixed to a wall, used by men for urination

  2. a room containing urinals

  3. any vessel for holding urine prior to its disposal

"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

Etymology

Origin of urinal

1225–75; Middle English < Old French < Late Latin ūrīnāle, neuter of ūrīnalis of urine. See urine, -al 2

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.

The piece proved an immediate hit, with critics comparing it to ready-made master Marcel Duchamp’s 1917 porcelain urinal, “Fountain.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 31, 2025

Di Fabrizio accused him of missing the urinal and peeing on them at the Oscars.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 24, 2025

The space, which also featured vintage saloon art, was small but cozy, comfortably holding about 10 to 15 people and boasting its own bathroom, complete with a urinal.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 2025

His inquest heard it took two hours for a crane to arrive to lift the urinal off him.

From BBC • Feb. 8, 2025

I had apologized to two people now, and I hadn’t even been out of the urinal for ten minutes.

From "Winger" by Andrew Smith

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.