bathroom break
- noun
- US
- Would you like to take a bathroom break before we begin?
- take a bathroom break
- need a bathroom break
- quick bathroom break
I'll usually have a bathroom break and then I'll come back.
- I'll usually have a bathroom break and then I'll come back.
- I put on her leash and I take her out for her first bathroom break of the day.
Examples
-
I need a bathroom break before the second act.
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Several excited kids peeled off for last-second bathroom breaks.
Blog text (5) -
Everybody get their last bathroom break in.
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-Gotta take a quick bathroom break.
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Take a bathroom break and do the "Happy Dance" every chance you get!
Blog text (25) -
Do you time your family members' bathroom breaks?
Blog text (14) -
You get a five-minute bathroom break every two hours.
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If you don't mind, I could really use a bathroom break.
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Quick bathroom break, ladies and gents.
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Would you like to take a bathroom break before we begin?
Synonyms
A short break to use the toilet or take care of personal needs
A short pause to use the toilet or have a brief rest
How Long
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a short pause to use the bathroom' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'bathroom' (room for personal hygiene) with 'break' (a short interruption or rest). This compositional, collocational pattern is common and predictable in English (and mirrored in many languages), so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily understand it.
Etymology
The phrase bathroom break comes from the plain image of stopping work for a short break to use the bathroom. So a 'bathroom break' simply means a quick pause to go to the toilet.