Meaning & use
washbowls
Last updated
“washbowls” is a form of “washbowl”.
Meanings
nouncountableold-fashioned
A deep, round container used for washing your hands and face, usually kept on a stand or in a bathroom.
Grammar: Countable: one washbowl, two washbowls; use an or the before it.
Patterns
- a washbowl of water
- fill the washbowl
- wash in a washbowl
The guest room had an old wooden stand with two washbowls on it.
She poured warm water into the washbowl and washed her face.
In the museum, the washbowls and jugs are arranged exactly as they were a hundred years ago.
nouncountable
A round open container used in a bathroom or kitchen for holding water, similar to a sink.
Grammar: Countable and often used in the plural when talking about matching sets or several rooms.
Patterns
- a ceramic washbowl
- a matching set of washbowls
The hotel replaced the cracked washbowls in all the older rooms.
These ceramic washbowls were made in the same factory as the tiles.
Word forms
| singular | washbowl |
|---|
Common combinations
- fill a washbowl
- He filled the washbowl with hot water from the kettle.
- a washbowl and jug
- On the shelf stood a washbowl and jug in white china.
- an enamel washbowl
- The campers used a small enamel washbowl for washing up.
- empty the washbowl
- Please empty the washbowl after you have finished.
- a washbowl stand
- The washbowl stand had a towel rail on each side.
Synonyms and how they differ
- basin
- Basin is the more usual word for the same object, especially in British English, and sounds less dated.
- sink
- A sink is fixed to a wall or counter with pipes, while a washbowl can simply sit on a stand.
- bowl
- A bowl is any round open container used mainly for food; a washbowl is specifically for washing.
Word family
- washbowl noun
- The singular form, meaning one such container.
Commonly confused: washbowls or washbasin?
washbowls vs washbasin
Washbasin means the same thing and is far more common today; washbowl is the older, more old-fashioned word.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'washbowls' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Washbowls' is a plural countable noun, so it fits after 'two' as a thing on the stand. Option 2 uses it as a verb, option 3 wrongly puts 'a' before a plural, and option 4 makes the bowls do the washing, which is impossible.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “washbowls”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.