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Meaning & use

facecloth

noun·EverydayBritish

Last updated

UK/ˈfeɪsklɒθ/
US/ˈfeɪsklɔːθ/

Meaning

  1. nouncountableBritish

    A small square of soft fabric used to wash your face and body in the bath or sink.

    Grammar: Countable: a facecloth, two facecloths.

    Patterns

    • wash with a facecloth
    • wipe something with a facecloth

    She wrung out the facecloth and wiped the baby's cheeks gently.

    The hotel left a clean towel and a facecloth beside the bath.

    Dampen the facecloth with warm water before you use it.

Word forms

pluralfacecloths

Common combinations

a damp facecloth
A damp facecloth cooled his forehead.
wring out a facecloth
Wring out the facecloth so it does not drip.
a warm facecloth
A warm facecloth helps open the pores.
wash with a facecloth
I prefer to wash with a facecloth instead of just my hands.
a soft cotton facecloth
She bought a soft cotton facecloth for the baby.

Synonyms and how they differ

washcloth
Washcloth is the usual American word for the same thing and is rarely used in Britain.
flannel
Flannel is the other common British word for a facecloth, and it can also mean a soft woolen fabric.
washrag
Washrag is an informal American term, mostly regional, for the same cloth.

Word family

face noun
the front of the head
cloth noun
fabric or a piece of it
facecloths noun
more than one such cloth
face flannel noun
another British name for the same item

Commonly confused: facecloth or towel?

facecloth vs towel

A towel is a larger cloth used to dry the body, while a facecloth is small and used mostly to wash.

Practice

An American traveler in Britain asks for a washcloth, and the host says, 'Oh, you mean a ______?'

Make it your own

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