bathroom

IPA/ˈbɑːθruːm/
KK[bˈæθrˌum]IPA/ˈbæθruːm/

bathroom — noun

  • bathroomsingular
  • bathroomsplural

1. a room in a home or hotel used for bathing and washing, usually with either a ba

1.nounA1
Definition

a room in a home or hotel used for bathing and washing, usually with either a bath or a shower; many also include a toilet and sink

Example

The kids left wet towels on the bathroom floor again.

collocation: bathroom floor

Our hotel room had a small bathroom with a shower.

bathroom + with + shower

Common collocations
  • guest bathroom
  • shared bathroom
  • upstairs bathroom
  • bathroom wall
  • bathroom mirror
Synonyms
  • washroom

    similar, but in some places it more often means a public toilet

  • shower room

    narrower; it emphasizes the place for showering

  • lavatory

    more formal and usually used for a toilet room, not a home bathroom

Grammar Patterns

in the bathroom

bathroom with a shower

clean the bathroom

Usage Note

Often used for a room in a home or hotel. Distinguish from sense 2: this sense refers to the whole washing room, not only the toilet facility.

Common Mistakes

I took a shower in the toilet.
I took a shower in the bathroom.
toilet usually focuses on the toilet itself or the toilet room, not the whole washing room.

2. in North American English, a room people use to go to the toilet, even if there

2.nounA2
Definition

in North American English, a room people use to go to the toilet, even if there is no bath there

Example

Excuse me, where is the bathroom near the ticket office?

polite question for a toilet room

Lena asked the waiter if customers could use the bathroom.

use the bathroom

Common collocations
  • public bathroom
  • men's bathroom
  • women's bathroom
  • bathroom break
  • bathroom sign
Synonyms
  • restroom

    very common in public places in American English

  • washroom

    common in Canadian English and some public signs

  • toilet

    more direct and used widely outside North America

  • lavatory

    formal and often seen on signs or in transport

Grammar Patterns

use the bathroom

go to the bathroom

where is the bathroom?

Usage Note

Common in American English as a polite way to mean a toilet room. Distinguish from sense 1: this sense does not require a bath or shower to be present.

Common Mistakes

Where is the bathroom?' (in British English, when you only need the toilet)
Where is the toilet?
bathroom is the usual polite word in American English, but toilet is clearer in many other varieties.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/2

For this sense, bathroom is the usual polite American word for a room with a toilet, even when there is no bath. Restroom is also common in the US, especially in stores, restaurants, and airports, and it often sounds slightly more public or official. Washroom is common in Canadian English and on some public signs, but it is less usual in everyday American speech. Toilet is the most direct word and is common in many parts of the world, but in American English it can sound less polite when you mean the room. In a US cafe, Ask where the bathroom is. In London, Ask where the toilet is.

bathroom ↗restroom ↗washroom ↗toilet ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • bathroom door
  • bathroom floor
  • bathroom mirror
  • bathroom sink

Phrases

Prepositions

  • in the bathroom
  • from the bathroom
  • into the bathroom

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

Bathroom is a compound made in English from bath and room. Bath comes from an old English word for washing in water, and room comes from an old English word for a space in a building. The later North American use for a toilet room developed as a polite way to avoid saying toilet directly.