lavatory

noun

lav·a·to·ry | \ ˈla-və-ˌtȯr-ē

, British -və-t(ə-)rē\

plural lavatories

Definition of lavatory

1 : a vessel (such as a basin) for washing especially : a fixed bowl or basin with running water and drainpipe for washing

2 : a room with conveniences for washing and usually with one or more toilets the airplane's lavatory

3 : toilet sense 1a

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Synonyms for lavatory

Synonyms

bath, bathroom, bog [British], can, cloakroom [British], comfort station, convenience [chiefly British], head, john, latrine, loo [chiefly British], potty, restroom, toilet, washroom, water closet

Examples of lavatory in a Sentence

a wide choice of lavatories on sale at plumbing supply stores the school's filthy, broken-down lavatories were a disgrace

Recent Examples on the Web

To ease that congestion, entire city blocks in Varanasi were being razed to make way for gardens, lavatories, shops. — Paul Salopek, National Geographic, "One of India's holiest cities is being reborn. Not everyone is happy," 21 Mar. 2019 Satisfied the surfaces are clean(er) and having relocated the airplane pillow/blanket to the overhead compartment, Altschul visits the lavatory to wash her hands before touching anything in her carry on and settling in for the flight. — Luzanne Otte, Town & Country, "Patricia Altschul's Very Specific Guide to Traveling in Style," 18 May 2019 One day the boy was attacked by other students in the school lavatory, and the father got a call to pick him up from the hospital. — Jason L. Riley, WSJ, "Obama’s Racial Preferences Made Schools Dangerous," 25 Dec. 2018 Over the summer, a handful of teachers and staffers at Warren Middle School in Forney volunteered and broke out art supplies to decorate the girls and boys lavatories with positive, uplifting messages. — Janine Puhak, Fox News, "Texas middle school's 'bathroom inspiration project' aims to empower students," 13 Sep. 2018 Twin-aisle planes, typically used for international flights, are required to have an accessible lavatory. — Joshua Brockman, New York Times, "For Disabled Travelers, Technology Helps Smooth the Way. But Not All of It.," 25 June 2018 The House installed its first lavatory for women lawmakers in 2011. — Washington Post, "For Duckworth, a baby will bring down yet another barrier," 19 Feb. 2018 Airlines and advocates negotiated a broad compromise in 2016 to make accessible lavatories in new planes. — Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, "Lost bags, airline fees: Protections for travelers rights stall under Trump," 19 Jan. 2018 And frequent lavatory users should always take an aisle seat. — Nina Bahadur, SELF, "How to Function After a Red-Eye Flight, According to 21 Seasoned Travelers," 16 Aug. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'lavatory.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.