towel
noun · verb
Simple meaning
A rectangular piece of absorbent cloth for drying or wiping.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
towuhlSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈtaʊəl
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A rectangular piece of absorbent cloth (or paper) for drying or wiping
“He grabbed a clean towel and dried his hands.”
A cloth used for wiping, especially one used for drying anything wet, such as a person after a bath.
verb
transitive
To block up (a door, etc.) with a towel, to conceal the fumes of a recreational drug.
Wipe with a towel
transitive
To dry by using a towel.
transitive
To hit with a towel.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A2 · Elementary
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- General and technical use
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A rectangular piece of absorbent cloth (or paper) for drying or wiping
Used this way, towel is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“He grabbed a clean towel and dried his hands.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use towel
- “Please grab a clean towel after you finish your shower.”
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A rack consisting of one or more bars on which towels can be hung.
A rack consisting of one or more bars on which towels can be hung.
A horizontal bar a few inches from a wall for holding towels.
A circular hoop for holding a towel.
A horizontal bar a few inches from a wall for holding towels.
A small towel used to dry the hands or face.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.