How do you use the word "loo" in a sentence?

Here are real-life examples of using "loo": Tom is on the loo. Child: "I need to go to the loo." - Mother: "Number one or number two?"

Loo Meaning

/luː/

Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.

Definition

nounA lavatory: a room used for urination and defecation.

nounA toilet: a fixture used for urination and defecation.

Sentence Examples

Tom is on the loo.

Child: "I need to go to the loo." - Mother: "Number one or number two?"

Who's the wally who's chucked his socks in the loo?

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms:

closet

Antonyms:

None

CEFR Practice Quiz

In the British pub, he asked for the key to the ____ because he urgently needed to use the toilet.

CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)

In British English, the word ____ is a common and informal term for the toilet or the bathroom today.

Word Origin & History

Uncertain, although usually derived in some way from Waterloo, the site of Wellington's 1815 victory over Napoleon, likely via a pun based on water closet. Other suggested derivations include corruptions of French l'eau (“water”), lieu (“place”), lieux d'aisances (“'places of convenience': a lavatory”), lieu à l'anglaise (“'English place': a British-style lavatory”), bordalou (“a diminutive chamber pot”) or gardez l'eau (“'mind the water'”), via Scots gardyloo, formerly used in Edinburgh while emptying chamber pots out of windows; the supposed use of "Room 100" as the lavatory in Continental hotels; a popularisation of lew, a regional corruption of lee (“downwind”), in reference to shepherds' privies or the former use of beakheads on that side of the ship for urination and defecation; or a clipped form of the name of the unpopular 19th-century Countess of Lichfield Lady Harriett Georgiana Louisa Hamilton Anson, who was the subject of an 1867 prank whereby her bedroom's name-card was placed on the door to the lavatory, prompting the other guests to begin speaking of "going to Lady Louisa".

Literary Quotations & Historical Citations

"I suppose it is unreal because we have been expecting it [sc. World War II] for so long now, and have known that it must be got over before we can go on with our lives. Like in the night when you want to go to the loo and it is miles away down a freezing cold passage and yet you know you have to go down that passage before you can be happy and sleep again." — 1940, Nancy Mitford, chapter II, in Pigeon Pie, page 27:

"Ensure that the tents are well-sited and clean, rubbish bins empty, and that the loos have toilet paper." — 2006, Garth Thompson et al., The Guide′s Guide to Guiding, 3rd edition, page 160:

"The lack of running water in rural areas often makes Western-style loos hygienic disasters. Suddenly the noncontact squat toilet doesn′t look like such a bad option any more (as long as you roll up your trouser legs)." — 2009, Katharina Kane, Lonely Planet: The Gambia and Senegal, page 275:

"Waterless urinals are a great way of keeping the guys out of the cubicle toilets, keeping the urine separated from the solid waste (when using composting loos) and reducing water consumption if you have flush loos." — 2010, Meegan Jones, Sustainable Event Management, page 206:

"Edg. Pilicock sate on pelicocks hill, a lo lo lo." — c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene xi]:

Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words