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washcloth

[wosh-klawth, -kloth, wawsh-]
noun, plural wash·cloths [wosh-klawth z, -kloth z, -klawths, -kloths, wawsh-] /ˈwɒʃˌklɔðz, -ˌklɒðz, -ˌklɔθs, -ˌklɒθs, ˈwɔʃ-/.
  1. a small cloth for washing one's face or body.
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Origin of washcloth

An Americanism dating back to 1900–05; wash + cloth
Also called facecloth, washrag.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for washcloth

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • Then I mumbled thanks, and reached wearily for my washcloth.

    Have We No Rights?

    Mabel Williamson

  • A washstand should be furnished with a sponge or washcloth, and a small towel, for wiping the basin after using it.

    A Treatise on Domestic Economy

    Catherine Esther Beecher

  • A washcloth can be made thus by weaving it of narrow pieces of cheesecloth.

  • After we had finished with the basin of hot water, Mrs. Wong took advantage of it, having found her own washcloth in the meantime.

    Have We No Rights?

    Mabel Williamson

  • Hanging on a wooden peg driven into a hole, drilled in the cabin's wall, were a clean towel and washcloth.

    The Spell of the White Sturgeon

    James Arthur Kjelgaard

British Dictionary definitions for washcloth

washcloth

noun
  1. another name for dishcloth
  2. US and Canadian a small piece of cloth used to wash the face and handsAlso called (in Britain and certain other countries): face cloth, flannel
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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