lavatory

play

noun lav·a·to·ry \ˈla-və-ˌtȯr-ē, British -və-t(ə-)rē\

Definition of lavatory

plural

lavatories

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 1a

lavatory

adjective

See lavatory defined for English-language learners

See lavatory defined for kids

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 of lavatory from the Web

In a more sensible world, a woman such as Mensch would be running around a train station warning commuters about the spaceships in the lavatory car.

— charles c. w. cooke, National Review, "Louise Mensch’s Destructive Fantasies," 20 July 2017
Hudek returned to the lavatory for approximately two minutes.

— christine willmsen, Alaska Dispatch News, "Fists, bottles flew after man tried to open door on Seattle-Beijing flight, charges say," 8 July 2017
So, what's a preservation-minded solution to the lack of a lavatory in the old building?

— kim chatelain, NOLA.com, "Historic Dew Drop upgraded without disturbing the spirits of jazz," 16 June 2017
This romantic challenge is played for broad comedy in the first 20 minutes, but then a nightclub lavatory fight takes a grisly turn, and the movie shifts gears.

— glenn kenny, New York Times, "‘Amar Akbar & Tony,’ on Netflix, Trains a Lens on Immigrants in Britain," 16 June 2017
So how does one keep one's face beat when the lavatory is the size of a broom closet and the carry-on liquid threshold is still a measly 3.4 ounces?

— chelsea peng, Marie Claire, "5 Beauty Secrets of Flight Attendants," 8 June 2017
The company, based in Plaisir, west of Paris, cited bottlenecks at a Welsh plant that have again disrupted seat deliveries, together with holdups in the production of lavatories in the U.S. for planes such as the Airbus SE A350.

— christopher jasper, Bloomberg.com, "Safran Shaves $1 Billion From Zodiac Bid After Profit Warnings," 24 May 2017
The barrier is retractable and relies on several rows of high-strength cables that stretch across the entrance to the cockpit to keep passengers out of the flight deck when pilots open the cockpit door to use the lavatory or get a cup of coffee.

— hugo martin, latimes.com, "United says its planes are secure even though cockpit door access codes were revealed," 19 May 2017
Initial reports from the Mesa Airlines flight attendants indicate that Ms. Harper attempted to visit the lavatory on final descent and was instructed to remain seated with the seat belt fastened per FAA regulations.

— dammadmadam, Fox News, "Missouri mother says United attendant forced her to urinate in cup," 11 May 2017

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.