I. tow ‧ el 1 S3 /ˈtaʊəl/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Date: 1200-1300 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: toaille ]
a piece of cloth that you use for drying your skin or for drying things such as dishes:
Have you got a clean towel I could use?
bath/beach/kitchen towel
She dried her hands on the kitchen towel.
⇨ ↑ paper towel , ↑ sanitary pad , ↑ tea towel , ⇨ throw in the towel at THROW IN (3)
II. towel 2 BrE AmE ( also towel down/off ) verb ( past tense and past participle towelled , present participle towelling British English , toweled , toweling American English ) [transitive]
to dry yourself using a towel:
He stood in the doorway, towelling his hair dry.
⇨ ↑ towelling