Meaning & use
damp paper towel
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
A paper towel that has been made slightly wet, usually for wiping or cleaning something gently.
Grammar: Countable: a damp paper towel, two damp paper towels.
Patterns
- wipe something with a damp paper towel
- use a damp paper towel
- a damp paper towel for something
Wipe the table with a damp paper towel to remove the crumbs.
She cleaned the mirror using a damp paper towel and a little vinegar.
Word forms
| plural | damp paper towels |
|---|
Common combinations
- wipe with a damp paper towel
- Wipe the counter with a damp paper towel after cooking.
- clean with a damp paper towel
- You can clean the leaves with a damp paper towel.
- use a damp paper towel
- Use a damp paper towel to pick up the spilled flour.
- a slightly damp paper towel
- A slightly damp paper towel is enough to remove dust.
Synonyms and how they differ
- moist paper towel
- Moist sounds slightly more formal and often describes a small amount of wetness; damp is the everyday word.
- wet paper towel
- A wet paper towel is much wetter and may tear easily; a damp one is only slightly wet.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: damp paper towel or wet wipe?
damp paper towel vs wet wipe
A wet wipe is a small pre-moistened cloth sold for cleaning; a damp paper towel is an ordinary paper towel you wet yourself.
Practice
Which sentence uses the phrase correctly?
Choose one answer.
The phrase works as a noun after with: wipe something with a damp paper towel. The other options add a preposition that does not fit this structure.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “damp paper towel”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.