51Թ

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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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51Թ 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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51Թ 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

  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.

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

Items in the pantry so far include sanitary towels, baby food, teabags, dog food and beans.

From

Doncic wiped his eyes with a towel, walked by a gauntlet of high-fiving reserves and joined the Lakers’ other starters on the floor.

From

Doncic sat alone on the bench, looking from the video screen to the towel he used to hide his face.

From

Sinclair Broadcast Group has already thrown in the towel in several markets, replacing its local coverage with its centralized news broadcast, called the National Desk.

From

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Related 51Թs

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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