Skip to main content
towel rack

towel rack

4 1.6
A bar or frame for hanging towels to dry in a bathroom
  • noun
  • /ˈtaʊəl ræk/
translation icon : soporte para toallas
  • She asked her brother to grab a clean towel from the towel rack next to the sink.
  • towel rack in the bathroom
  • heated towel rack

And then here we have at the back of the bath, a heated towel rack.

Examples

  • Stepping around broken glass, she strode past Adriane toward the towel rack and gathered her clothes.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • Frida hangs the towel on the towel rack and leaves.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • "Your suit's on the towel rack," I call after her.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • "Crossing the room, she headed for the towel rack.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • She had just arranged them on the towel rack above the bathtub and was drying off her hands when there was a soft knock at the bedroom door.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • Eyes still closed, the shampoo beginning to drip onto his nose and cheeks, he drew aside the shower curtain and felt along the wall for the towel rack.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • Compared to the spaciousness of the master bedroom, it wasn't much more than a utilitarian closet: six by eight feet with a double-hung window over a blue-tiled sink, a towel rack with one orange towel, and a toilet with the seat up.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • After showering, I hung my wet towel on the towel rack in the bathroom.

  • In the guest bathroom, a towel rack was placed conveniently for visitors to use.

Synonyms

rack
vstowel rack
205 1.2

A frame for holding or showing things

is specifically for holding drying cloths rather than general storage or display
towel bar
vstowel rack
  • US
2 2.3

A bar fixed to a wall for hanging towels

is a more general fixture for holding drying cloths, not only fixed supports
towel rail
vstowel rack
  • UK
2.5

A bar fixed to a wall for hanging towels to dry

is used for hanging or storing cloths in various forms, not only long wall supports
towel horse
vstowel rack
  • UK
7.0

A rack of bars for hanging towels to dry

is typically attached or fixed in a room rather than standing freely

How Many

towel horse
  • UK
7.0
towel rack
4 1.6
towel bar
  • US
2 2.3
hook
192 1.0

Surface Forms

towel rack singular
towel racks plural

Morphology

towel + rack

The meaning 'a bar or frame for hanging towels' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'towel' (an absorbent cloth) with 'rack' (a stand or frame for holding objects). This noun–noun composition is a literal, cross-linguistically common pattern and would be immediately comprehensible to a B1 learner who knows both constituents.

Etymology

Towel rack comes from the two words towel and rack. Imagine a bar or frame where you hang a wet towel to dry, so that's why it means 'a bar or frame for hanging towels'.