Meaning & use
toilet bowl
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
The rounded container part of a toilet that holds water and receives waste.
Grammar: Countable: you can say a toilet bowl or two toilet bowls, but in everyday talk people usually just say the toilet.
Patterns
- clean the toilet bowl
- a toilet bowl brush
He scrubbed the toilet bowl until it was white again.
The water in the toilet bowl kept running after she flushed.
A ring of dirt had formed around the toilet bowl.
nouncountabletechnical
The bowl-shaped part of a toilet, seen as a single unit when buying or repairing one.
Grammar: Often used before another noun to name parts or products: a toilet bowl cleaner, a toilet bowl lid.
Patterns
- replace a toilet bowl
- a toilet bowl cleaner
The plumber said the whole toilet bowl needed replacing.
She bought a new toilet bowl cleaner at the supermarket.
Word forms
| plural | toilet bowls |
|---|
Common combinations
- clean the toilet bowl
- Please clean the toilet bowl before your guests arrive.
- scrub the toilet bowl
- He put on gloves and scrubbed the toilet bowl.
- toilet bowl cleaner
- This toilet bowl cleaner removes hard water stains.
- toilet bowl brush
- The toilet bowl brush is behind the door.
- flush the toilet bowl
- Press the handle to flush the toilet bowl.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- toilet noun
- The whole fixture, including the bowl, seat and tank.
- toiletries noun
- Items used for washing and grooming, such as soap and toothpaste.
Commonly confused: toilet bowl or toilet?
toilet bowl vs toilet
Toilet means the whole fixture or the room; toilet bowl means only the container part that holds the water.
Practice
Which sentence uses "toilet bowl" correctly?
Choose one answer.
"Toilet bowl" means the container part of the toilet, so you can scrub it with a brush. The other options describe the whole room or fixture, where "toilet" alone is the natural word.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “toilet bowl”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.