towel

noun

tow·el | \ ˈtau̇(-ə)l

Definition of towel

(Entry 1 of 2)

: an absorbent cloth or paper for wiping or drying

towel

verb

toweled or towelled; toweling or towelling

Definition of towel (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

: to rub or dry (something, such as the body) with a towel

intransitive verb

: to use a towel to dry oneself toweled down after swimming

Examples of towel in a Sentence

Noun

She dried her hair with a towel. Here's a towel to wipe up the spill.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

My mother read book after book sitting atop a threadbare bath towel on the rocky sand. — Lauren Gibbons Paul, BostonGlobe.com, "Rediscovering the joys of swimming in a pond," 6 Sep. 2019 According to the arrest report obtained by BuzzFeed News, authorities found the 53-year-old castrated man in the guest bedroom holding a bloody towel on his groin while his testicles were in a jar by the bed. — Ricky Pinela, orlandosentinel.com, "Florida man arrested for performing a botched castration surgery on another man: report," 21 Aug. 2019 Avenue is the latest retailer to throw in the towel this year. — Chris Morris, Fortune, "Women’s Retailer Avenue Closing All 222 Stores in 33 States," 14 Aug. 2019 No baseball executive throwing in the towel on a season in July has ever had the cheery support of the fellas in the clubhouse. — SFChronicle.com, "Why Giants’ Madison Bumgarner, Warriors’ Klay Thompson are zen brothers," 3 Aug. 2019 His mind focuses on the task at hand, which means using the white towel on top of the Indians bench at Victory Field to wipe his face before setting his headphones down. — Tyler Kraft, Indianapolis Star, "Indians pitching coach returns to baseball following 18 years in a traveling ministry," 28 June 2019 Pro tip: Wear a towel or sheet over your head in order to keep the steam from escaping. — Rebekah Lowin, Country Living, "13 Castile Soap Uses You've Never Thought of Before," 22 May 2019 Lay a hot, moist towel on the glass to help soften the residue. — Carolyn Forte, Good Housekeeping, "How to Clean A Glass Cooktop so it Looks Brand New Again," 30 Apr. 2019 Now, paparazzi photos of Charles and Camilla walking with towels on the beach and of the Prince of Wales enjoying an ocean swim are causing controversy. — Caroline Hallemann, Town & Country, "Paparazzi Photos of Prince Charles and Camilla on the Beach in Barbados Are Causing Controversy," 20 Mar. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

After toweling off the jelly, Braiden sat in the hallway with Brendt, waiting to meet with the doctor. — Samantha Schmidt, Washington Post, "Braiden Schirtzinger is non-binary, pregnant and about to take on the most gendered role of all," 16 Aug. 2019 After recording his final out, Buehler toweled sweat from his brow while Roberts shook his hand for a job well done. — Los Angeles Times, "Kenley Jansen blows save and Dodgers fall to Diamondbacks, then tempers boil over," 10 Aug. 2019 Step 1: Apply Keratin Complex's Vita Volume Boosting Foam to towel-dry hair. — Laurie Espino, Seventeen, "Tips to Getting Lucy Hale's Messy Bun," 18 Apr. 2012 Two tips for curly hair: Leave a little bit of conditioner in after rinsing, and never towel-dry. — Zoe Ruffner, Vogue, "Beat the Heat! How 6 Models Maintain Their Signature Spirals," 13 Aug. 2018 Apply on clean skin for no longer than the instructions say (usually six to eight minutes), then towel it off. — Cristina Mueller, Redbook, "Q& Triple A: I have little hairs around my chin and upper lip. Help!," 10 Jan. 2011 Swimmers can reduce the risk of getting the itch by toweling off after going in the water and swimming in colder water, away from shore. — Michelle Theriault Boots, Anchorage Daily News, "Feel like a swim? Here’s the lowdown on Anchorage lakes," 4 July 2018 For fun that doesn’t involve having to towel off, Great Wolf created a 40,000-square-foot adventure park that includes a climbing wall, ropes course and nine-hole minigolf course. — Lori Rackl, chicagotribune.com, "First look: Great Wolf Lodge Illinois ready to welcome guests, Chance the Rapper," 21 June 2018 For fun that doesn’t involve having to towel off, Great Wolf created a 40,000-square-foot adventure park that includes a climbing wall, ropes course and nine-hole minigolf course. — Emily K. Coleman, Lake County News-Sun, "Chance the Rapper leads camp kids in test run at Great Wolf Lodge, Gurnee's newly renovated water park," 21 June 2018

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