public restroom
9
1.0
- noun
- /ˈpʌblɪk ˈrɛstruːm/
- US
:
baño público
- There are no stores, restaurants, or gas stations on Mauna Kea, and few public restrooms.
- use public restrooms
- public restrooms at airports
- go to a public restroom
To the bathroom, public restrooms, or behind trees?
- To the bathroom, public restrooms, or behind trees?
- And and yet, you know, I never like to use public restrooms.
- Also there's toilet paper that has been so hard to come by in public restrooms.
- First of all, let Little Miss Bridezilla know that if she, no matter what venue she had it at, they were going to have public restrooms.
- And I guess the, the hard part is, is that, you know, the sanitation thing, I mean, I don't know if there's a way to offer just a public restroom.
- But for me, now I have another truth teller offender and that is out in public, in public restrooms, the fluorescent.
Examples
-
Requests for more parking and more public restrooms led the list.
Academic text (2002) -
There was one person in there already, and as in any public restroom, Brian tried not to look at him first.
Fiction book (1995) -
Sufficient to say, I spent the next several weeks trying to avoid public restrooms at all costs.
Blog text (18) -
The short hallway in which the pay phone was located led to the public restrooms.
Fiction book (2001) -
Some women may feel vulnerable pulling their pants down in a public restroom with men.
Blog text (24) -
I'm sorry, but we don't have a public restroom here.
-
The bathroom that was damaged is a public restroom on the first floor of the 380-resident dormitory.
Blog text (13) -
I think this is a great idea for public restrooms, especially in high-traffic areas like schools, malls, airports, etc.
Blog text (4) -
Many travelers appreciate the cleanliness of the public restroom near the train station.
-
The park has recently renovated its public restroom to accommodate more visitors.
Synonyms
275
1.0
A small room with a bowl and sink where people go to pee or poo
133
1.0
A public room with toilets and sinks for people to use
78
1.2
A room with toilets and sinks for men to use
76
1.0
A public toilet for women
49
2.8
A public room with a toilet for people to use
20
1.0
A room with toilets and sinks, often in a public building
7
1.0
A room with toilets and sinks that anyone can use in public places
2
1.2
A room or building with toilets for public use
1
1.0
A small room with a toilet for people to use
A toilet in a public place that anyone can use
A toilet in a public place that anyone can use
How Clean
- US
9
1.0
- Australian
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'public' (open to everyone) modifies 'restroom' (a toilet facility), so a learner who knows both words can infer it refers to a toilet facility available to the general public. This adjective + noun combination follows common cross-linguistic patterns and is a straightforward, literal compound that a B1 learner will readily understand.
Etymology
Public restroom comes from the older, polite name rest room, a room where people could 'rest' or freshen up, and the word public was added when these rooms were opened for everyone in public places. That's why today it means a 'toilet' or washroom that people can use in public buildings.