towel1 nountowel2 verb
toweltow‧el1 /ˈtaʊəl/ ●●● S3 noun [countable] 
WORD ORIGINtowel1
Origin:
1200-1300 Old French toailleEXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- a bath towel
- After I bury the dolls under the sheets and towels, I pick up my child, placing her against my chest.
- Finally, she covered him with a few towels from the van and left him on the ground.
- Green in the chrome of the Harley, in the beach towel hung on a peg.
- Her body was swathed in towels, except for the gap where her vest was pulled up.
- Mandy, I have a towel over my head.
- Top with warm cracklings that have been warmed in paper towels in the oven.
- Use the Steamatic's crease remover accessory with the towel to remove greasy marks and creases from your clothes and curtains.
WORD SETS
airbed, nounair conditioning, nounair freshener, nounappliance, nounbachelor flat, nounback-to-back, nounbackyard, nounballcock, nounbar, nounbarn, nounbarrow, nounbaseboard, nounbasket, nounbay window, nounbeater, nounbedclothes, nounbedding, nounbed linen, nounbedspread, nounbidet, nounblade, nounbleach, nounboard, verbboarding, nounbobbin, nounbog, nounbog roll, nounbolt, nounbolt, verbboom box, nounboudoir, nounbow window, nounbric-a-brac, nounbutler, nouncarpet, nouncarpet, verbcarpeting, nouncasket, nouncement, nouncentral heating, nouncentrepiece, nounchamber, nounchamber pot, nounchange purse, nounchimney breast, nounchimney-piece, nounChristmas stocking, nounChristmas tree, nouncloth, nouncoal, nouncoal scuttle, nouncolour scheme, nouncomforter, nounconvection oven, nounconvector, nouncooker, nouncooler, nouncounterpane, nouncreosote, nouncubbyhole, nouncurtain, nouncurtain hook, nouncushion, noundaily, noundefrost, verbden, noundesk tidy, noundes res, noundetergent, noundimmer, noundomestic, adjectivedomestic, noundomesticated, adjectivedomesticity, noundomestic science, noundomestic service, noundoor, noundormer, noundraughty, adjectivedrive, noundriveway, noundrop cloth, nounduplex, noundust, nounduvet, noundwelling, noundwelling house, nounearthen, adjectiveeggshell, nounempties, nounfire alarm, nounfirelighter, nounflock, nounflooring, nounfluff, nounflush, verbflypaper, nounflyswatter, nounfold, verbfootman, noungarage sale, noungarbage, noungasman, noungas meter, noungate, noungatehouse, noungatepost, noungateway, noungauze, noungingham, nounglass, nounglaze, verbglazing, noungrating, noungroan, verbguardrail, noungutter, nounguttering, nounhall, nounhallway, nounhandkerchief, nounhandyman, nounhang, verbhanging, nounhardware, nounheat, nounheatproof, adjectiveheat-resistant, adjectiveheirloom, nounhelper, nounhot-water bottle, nounhouseboy, nounhousekeeper, nounhousemaid, nounhousewares, nounhumidifier, nounhurricane lamp, nounimmersion, nounimmersion heater, nouninlaid, adjectiveinlay, nouninsulation, nouninterior decorator, nounionizer, nounironwork, nounjumble, nounjumble sale, nounkeepsake, nounkeyhole, nounknocker, nounlag, verblagging, nounlanding, nounlaundry basket, nounlinen, nounloo, nounmaid, nounmaidservant, nounmailbox, nounmajordomo, nounmanor, nounmantelpiece, nounmasking tape, nounmirror, nounmosquito net, nounmote, nounmothball, nounmoulding, nounmouth, nounmove, nounmoving van, nounmullion, nounnewspaper, nounniche, nounnonflammable, adjectivenook, nounobjet d'art, nounodd-job man, nounoilcloth, nounoil-fired, adjectiveornament, nounouthouse, nounoverflow, nounpad, nounpail, nounpaint, nounpaint, verbpaintbrush, nounpainting, nounpalatial, adjectivepaling, nounpalisade, nounpanel, nounpanelled, adjectivepantile, nounpaper, nounpaper, verbpartition, nounparty wall, nounpasskey, nounpaste, nounpatina, nounpebbledash, nounpegboard, nounpencil, nounpencil sharpener, nounpendulum, nounpension, nounpercale, nounpicture rail, nounpiggy-bank, nounpillowcase, nounpin, nounpincushion, nounplace card, nounplace mat, nounplastic wrap, nounplug, nounplughole, nounplumbing, nounplunger, nounpoker, nounpomander, nounpotpourri, nounpress, nounprivy, nounproperty, nounpunkah, nounQ-tip, nounqueen-size, adjectivequilted, adjectiverail, nounrailing, nounrake, verbrambling, adjectiveramp, nounredecorate, verbrelay, verbremote, nounremote control, nounretainer, nounribbon development, nounroller blind, nounrug, nounrumpus room, nounsafety match, nounsanitation worker, nounsconce, nounScotch tape, nounscrapbook, nounscrap paper, nounscreen, nounscreen door, nounscrew, nounscrew top, nounscullery, nounscuttle, nounSellotape, nounsheet, nounshelving, nounshower, nounshutter, nounshuttered, adjectivesink, nounskirting board, nounsliding door, nounsoft furnishings, nounspiral staircase, nounspittoon, nounsponge bag, nounsteam iron, nounstitch, verbstitching, nounstopcock, nounstorage heater, nounstove, nounstripper, nounsump, nounswag, nounswing door, nountablecloth, nountable linen, nountable mat, nountableware, nountaper, nountapestry, nountarpaulin, nountelevision, nountelly, nounterrycloth, nounthinner, nounthrowaway, adjectivethumbtack, nountinsel, nountoilet, nountowel, nountowel rail, nountransistor radio, nountrash can, nountrash compactor, nountread, nountrunk, nountub, nountumble dryer, noununfurnished, adjectivevalance, nounvarnish, nounvase, nounVenetian blind, nounwalk-in, adjectivewall, noun-ware, suffixwastepaper basket, nounwater closet, nounway out, nounWC, nounweathercock, nounweather vane, nounwhite spirit, nounwick, nounwind chimes, nounwindow, nounwindow box, nounwindowpane, nounwindowsill, nounwipe, nounwoodpile, nounwoodshed, nounwrapper, nounwrapping, nounwrapping paper, nounyard, nounyard sale, noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY
She dried her hands on the kitchen towel.COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
She dried her hands on the kitchen towel.· She handed him a soft white bath towel.
· They spread out beach towels and opened parasols.
· Where are all my clean socks?
(=use a towel to dry something)· Towel your hair dry before using a hairdryer.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE· They made me very welcome, then gave me a clean towel and showed me the showers.· She sits down and blots her sweaty face with a clean towel.· My baby brother was on top of the refrigerator on a bed of clean nappies and towels in his plastic baby bath-tub.· There were fresh soaps and clean towels.· She would give the girl a clean towel and the key to a room and then take your money.· As well as often mis-clubbing him I might forget to put in a clean towel in the bag or something like that.· They were then issued with clean shirts and towels.
· He flung the damp tea towel on to the table.· Return to a clean bowl and cover with damp towel or plastic wrap, or put the bowl inside a plastic bag.· A damp towel on the brow.· It sits there shivering in its damp towel until she comes with urine bottle and tube.· Anaesthetised it was laid on a damp towel for treatment.· Put in the dough and cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap or place the bowl inside a plastic bag.· Put them together at the last possible moment and cover with a damp tea towel until you serve them.· Cover with either a damp towel or plastic wrap, or put the bowl into a plastic bag.
· Rinse the courgettes under cold water, then dry with paper towels.· Preheat oven to 400 F.. Remove pheasant from marinade and pat dry with paper towels.· Doug has taken off his glasses and has his head in a dry towel.· Remove squab from marinade, reserving marinade, and pat dry with paper towels.· Empty warm water from mixing bowl and wipe dry with kitchen towel.· Start with fresh, ripe fruit, then rinse carefully in cold water and drain well or pat dry with paper towel.· Preheat oven to 250 F.. Pat meat dry with paper towels.· Remove duck and pat dry with paper towels.
· After a few minutes she padded back into the bedroom wrapped in a big fluffy towel.· The little clinic was spotless, painted white, with sparkling chrome fittings, stainless steel instruments and pure white fluffy towels.· But I had neither stumped up for a bale of fluffy bathroom towels, nor chipped in to the Qantas ticket.
· There were fresh towels in the bathroom, so the likeliest explanation was a nosy chambermaid.· Their bathroom was stocked with stacks of fresh towels and washcloths.· Thérèse found Léonie a fresh towel.· Only rarely did Polly experience such exotic delights as clean sheets, let alone fresh soap and towels.
· It got quite bad after a while and I had to hold hot towels underneath him to get the blood moving.· Alternatively, she could lie on her stomach with a hot wet towel or a hot-water bottle placed on her buttocks.· Wrap your hair in a hot towel to maximise the effect.
· If you needed a new sanitary towel in the night you couldn't get one.· So what about sanitary towels and tampons: bleached products that also come into intimate contact with the human body?· In one room there was a plastic sack full of used sanitary towels.· Did you realise that even now there are no legal standards for the manufacture of either sanitary towels or tampons?· Did you also know that in Britain neither sanitary towels nor tampons are sterilised, despite what their individual wrapping might suggest?· In those days there were no lavatory paper and sanitary towels, so old rags were used.· Also avoid the use of vaginal deodorants, tampons and bleached sanitary towels.· In some people it can be heavy enough to need thin sanitary towels.
· Some one rushed out with wet towels to wrap around him.· Her thin denim jacket was sodden and clung to her like a wet tea towel.· Failing that, a wet towel can smother an accidental fire.· As Kate steps off the plane the heat passes in fierce waves across her face, gagging her like another wet towel.
NOUN· Swallowing convulsively, she rubbed vigorously at her face and hair with a large bath towel until her skin burned.· She looked round, unseeing, at all the discarded clothes and bath towels looped on the bed and floor.· That evening my grandmother bundled me, weeping, in a large warm bath towel and tried to explain.· When he hat finished he reached to the bed and taking the new bath towel put it around her shoulders.· And now for a cup of tea, she thought, stepping out to wind a large bath towel around her nakedness.· She was propped in bed, soaking bath towels between her legs, when Andrew came back.· She was lying flat out on her pink bath towel along the lower level of the dry-heat sauna.
· Room service and beach towels are provided without additional charge.· He stands, grabs the beach towel.· The two girls swam until they were tired, then lazed on beach towels on the grass under the palm trees.· My friends were wearing two and three sweaters and had beach towels draped around their shoulders for extra warmth.· Bring your own face and beach towels.· Green in the chrome of the Harley, in the beach towel hung on a peg.
· Richard hands me a dish towel and is off.· He had folded the thin dish towel over his forearm and stood now with clasped hands.· Marie Fermoyle turned the sputtering steak, then wiped her eyes with the dish towel.
· Mike, whose own hair is visibly thinning despite careful combing, took the sight of Harvey in a hand towel badly.· When was the last time anybody saw hand towels or soap or a bog roll?· Picking up a hand towel from a nearby chair, she wrapped both of Lizzy's wrists tightly.
· As she was drying her hair on the kitchen towel, Nora appeared through the dining-room door.· Empty warm water from mixing bowl and wipe dry with kitchen towel.
· There I dampened some paper towels and wiped the flour off the goodies I'd removed from Flaxperson.· Preheat oven to 400 F.. Remove pheasant from marinade and pat dry with paper towels.· I fetch a handful of paper towels from beside the wash basin, walking on tiptoe to avoid bloody footprints.· Remove squab from marinade, reserving marinade, and pat dry with paper towels.· In the cloak-room Mrs Frizzell stood in a whirl of used paper towels, like a panting snowshoe hare in a snowdrift.· Dozens of rolls of paper towels.· After rinsing her face and hands under the cold running water, she dried them on a couple of paper towels.
· If you have a small bathroom, why not consider a radiator with a built-in towel rail?· The alternative to this is a separate, electrically heated towel rail.· Roll top baths, mixers, heated towel rails, soaps and towels.· Kicking off his muddy wellingtons, he walked across to the towel rail on the far side of the old-fashioned kitchen.· The few electrical fittings which are allowed in bathrooms, such as heated towel rails, will already have their own earth connections.
· He flung the damp tea towel on to the table.· With his other hand, he took the white tea towel from the rack and spread it on the drain board.· She was drying a plate on a tea towel.· Don't dry tea towels above cookers, or trail appliance flexes across hotplates.· Wash dish cloths and tea towels frequently.· Inside, the usual bored girl presided over a collection of postcards and tea towels.· Her thin denim jacket was sodden and clung to her like a wet tea towel.· The full kit is flexible enough to print on T-shirts, baseball hats, key-rings, mugs, aprons and tea towels.
VERB· I wished I'd thought to bring a towel with me.· Had I brought a towel, I could have sat myself down on the sand.· He had brought an old towel from home, planning to wipe Lily's blood with it and then throw it away.
· Swallowing the stiffness in her throat, she folded the towel neatly on to the rail and combed her hair.· Volunteered to fold towels in the shelter.· He had folded the thin dish towel over his forearm and stood now with clasped hands.
· They were all supposed to grab towels and run for their lives.· I grab my towel and wrap it around myself, hiding everything I can.
· Fearon reappeared holding a towel, his black hair glistening wet and rivulets running down his swarthy skin.· Make sure that the wire retainer clips are pressed down firmly to hold the towel in place.· He - Herr Schickert - was holding a towel to her neck.· I see an overweight middle-aged man struggling to close it again whilst trying to hold his towel around his middle.· It got quite bad after a while and I had to hold hot towels underneath him to get the blood moving.
· I am now allowed to put the towels around him to keep him warm.· When I put the towel down, I pulled my chair a little inside the doors.· She put the towel round her shoulders and sat down beside him.· He put his cache of towels and clean plastic bags on the floor of the porch.· The Boston bar put the towels on as the last cold beer fell into the frosted glasses.· As well as often mis-clubbing him I might forget to put in a clean towel in the bag or something like that.
· When he hat finished he reached to the bed and taking the new bath towel put it around her shoulders.· Then, taking the towel from the rail in front of the cooker, he wiped his face, head and forearms.· With his other hand, he took the white tea towel from the rack and spread it on the drain board.· She takes the towel off me and then squats down and begins brushing bits of hair off of my face with her fingers.· Converse said, when Smitty took the towel from his mouth.· He took a towel and wiped it.· He put it back in the bag and took out the towel, soap and toothbrush.
· But utility developers shouldn't throw in the towel just yet.· You want to run because you never want to throw in the towel.· It finally threw in the towel when the Prudential, the last remaining bidder, pulled out earlier this month.· This is not to say that theater should throw in the towel.· Finally, last Wednesday he threw in the towel, claiming he could no longer support Blunkett's policy on education.· Some local manufacturers have simply thrown in the towel.· Lee Rocker threw his towel into the audience and I caught it.· By midnight, its masters had thrown in the towel, and put out the computer's original forecast.
· I use a small towel or newspapers.· By the time they left, they had each used one towel, no washcloths.· Bill Webster of Hilton said that at first it might be voluntary for guests to use their towels twice.· Maybe he used a towel to pick up the iron teakettle.· We used up about six towels, and took ages, each of us, to scrub the bath afterwards.
· John lifted her from the bath and wrapped a towel around her shoulders.· Mr Barraza wrapped the towel around my shoulders, like a medic covering an open wound.· She wrapped a towel around her and ran to the sitting-room, swearing under her breath.· I happened to look up and see this guy a few feet away, wrapped in a towel, staring.· She had severe bruises to the face and eyes and her head was wrapped in a towel.· He looked at the thin smear of my blood on his palm, and wrapped a small black towel around my hand.· People were coming out, wrapping themselves in towels, shivering and complaining.· Ignoring his shrieks of outrage, I wrapped him in wet towels until his temperature dropped to 102.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
- A good 4-5 season sleeping bag is a must for anyone who doesn't throw in the towel the minute October dawns.
- But utility developers shouldn't throw in the towel just yet.
- By midnight, its masters had thrown in the towel, and put out the computer's original forecast.
- If they start to see prices run up, they might throw in the towel.
- It finally threw in the towel when the Prudential, the last remaining bidder, pulled out earlier this month.
- Some local manufacturers have simply thrown in the towel.
- You want to run because you never want to throw in the towel.
a piece of cloth that you use for drying your skin or for drying things such as dishes: Have you got a clean towel I could use?bath/beach/kitchen towel She dried her hands on the kitchen towel. → paper towel, sanitary pad, tea towel, → throw in the towel at throwtowel1 nountowel2 verb
toweltowel2 (also towel down/off) verb (past tense and past participle towelled, present participle towelling British English, toweled, toweling American English) [transitive] to dry yourself using a towel: He stood in the doorway, towelling his hair dry. → towelling