- a piece of cloth or paper used for drying things, especially your body
- Help yourself to a clean towel.
- a hand/bath towel (= a small/large towel)
- a beach towel (= a large towel used for lying on in the sun)
- I got out of the pool and wrapped my towel around me.
- Pat the area dry with a clean towel.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- clean
- fresh
- damp
- …
- drape
- wrap
- hang
- rack
- rail
- dispenser
- …
Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French toaille, of Germanic origin. The current sense of the verb dates from the mid 19th cent.
Idioms
See towel in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionarythrow in the towel
- (informal) to admit that you have been defeated and stop trying
- We're not going to throw in the towel just because we lost one game.
- (in boxing) to throw a towel into the ring as a sign that you admit that you have been defeated
- His corner threw in the towel near the end of the tenth round.
Check pronunciation:
towel