bathroom

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   A room in a house or building with a toilet, a sink, and often a bathtub or shower.

   Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a bathroom' or 'two bathrooms'.

   Patterns

   • go to the bathroom
   • use the bathroom
   • a bathroom with a shower

   The house has two bedrooms and one bathroom.

   Excuse me, where is the bathroom?

   She spent an hour cleaning the bathroom.

2. 2nouncountable

   A room used mainly for washing, especially one with a bathtub or shower.

   Grammar: Often used with 'the' when referring to a specific room: 'the bathroom is upstairs'.

   Patterns

   • in the bathroom
   • a bathroom with a bathtub

   He was in the bathroom taking a shower.

   The bathroom has a large mirror and a small window.

Word forms

Common combinations

go to the bathroom

I need to go to the bathroom before we leave.

use the bathroom

May I use the bathroom, please?

bathroom break

We stopped for a bathroom break on the drive.

bathroom mirror

She checked her hair in the bathroom mirror.

shared bathroom

The apartment has a shared bathroom.

Synonyms and how they differ

restroom

More formal and common in public places in American English; 'bathroom' is usual at home.

toilet

Common in British English for the room, but in American English 'toilet' usually means the fixture itself.

washroom

Used in Canadian and some American English for a public bathroom.

loo

Informal British word for a toilet or bathroom.

Word family

bath noun

A large container you fill with water to wash your whole body, or the act of washing in it.

bathe verb

To wash yourself or someone else in water, especially in a bath.

bathroom noun

Already the headword; no other common family members.

Commonly confused: bathroom or restroom? bathroom or toilet?

Practice

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