Skip to main content
dish towel

dish towel

6 1.0
A cloth used to dry dishes after they are washed
  • noun
  • /dɪʃ taʊəl/
  • US
translation icon : trapo de cocina
  • After washing the dishes, I used a clean dish towel to dry them thoroughly.
  • a clean dish towel
  • a damp dish towel
  • to hang a dish towel

Examples

  • He placed the wet plates on a dish towel to absorb excess water.

  • "I took the dish towel from him and wiped up spilled wine.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • Get me that dish towel.

  • "What are you going to do without dish towels?" he asked.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • Just get your dish towel and wipe off.

  • I found a clean dish towel in the drawer.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • Ma wiped a dish towel over her face before she turned around to kiss him.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • Her mother, with a worried look, moved toward it, wiping her hands on a dish towel.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • "How many dish towels do you think one of those will hold?" Jada asked.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • "I don't know if she wants dish towels or hand towels." "Hand towels."

    Fiction book (1990)

Synonyms

paper towel
vsdish towel
66 1.0

A disposable paper sheet that soaks up water to dry hands or clean spills

is a reusable cloth mainly for drying washed dishes
dishtowel
vsdish towel
  • US
3 1.0

A towel for drying dishes after they are washed

is the same meaning but written as two words
tea towel
vsdish towel
  • UK
2 1.0

A cloth for drying washed dishes and cutlery

is narrower in scope focusing on dishes not utensils

How Absorbent

microfiber
  • US
4 3.7
dish towel
  • US
6 1.0
paper towel
66 1.0

Surface Forms

dish towel singular
dish towels plural

Morphology

dish + towel

This is a straightforward noun-noun compound whose meaning — a towel for drying dishes — is directly and compositionally derived from 'dish' + 'towel'. The compound follows a common, cross-linguistic kitchen-object naming pattern, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily understand it.

Etymology

Dish towel comes from simple kitchen use: it is a towel used for drying dishes after washing. So, the name points directly to the meaning 'a towel used for drying dishes'.