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View synonyms for

towel

[ tou-uhl, toul ]

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 or (especially British) towelled, towelling.
  1. to wipe or dry with a towel.

towel

/ ˈٲʊə /

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. throw in the towel
“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

verb

  1. to dry or wipe with a towel
  2. slang.
    often foll byup to assault or beat (a person)
“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
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Word History and Origins

Origin of towel1

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

Origin of towel1

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

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

    He vowed he would never throw in the towel.

More idioms and phrases containing towel

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

Examples have not been reviewed.

Fans were waving souvenir white towels late Tuesday night, but it was clear that the Timberwolves were the ones in full surrender.

From

Part of that was due to Bergoglio’s age, 76; the cardinals were believed wary of choosing someone who might tire and, like Benedict, throw in the towel after just a few years.

From

As Doncic watched the footage, occasionally hiding his eyes behind a white tear-filled towel, one moment in particular stood out as most special.

From

Each day she would be handed two freshly laundered towels.

From

Germany's Niemeier, heavily beaten against the Netherlands and struggling for form, covered her face with her towel at the end of the set as she became visibly upset.

From

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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.

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