What does "urinal" mean?
A device or fixture used for urination, particularly
Urinal
/jʊəˈraɪnəl/ adj, noun
adj, noun ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A device or fixture used for urination, particularly
- Grammar: urinal is listed as adj, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: backhouse, basement, bathroom, bedpan.
- Useful contrasts: crapper, lavatory, toilet.
- Usage evidence: A typical nurse will do such things as helping with a urinal bottle, and shaving in preparation for surgery!
How to use "urinal"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "urinal" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "urinal" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "urinal" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "urinal" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "urinal" is acting as adj, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "backhouse" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "urinal", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A device or fixture used for urination, particularly
"This was the second time in the last few months that she was asked to install a urinal in a luxury residential project, and she said she knows many other designers and architects who have been specifying home urinals in their projects."
- 2 a plumbing fixture (usually attached to the wall) used by men to urinate wordnet
- 3 A device or fixture used for urination; A glass vial used for examining or storing urine. historical
- 4 A device or fixture used for urination; A chamber pot specially designed or considered as a device for urination. obsolete
- 5 A device or fixture used for urination; A device for urination worn or used by patients suffering urinary incontinence.
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 A device or fixture used for urination; A plumbing fixture intended for standing urination, typically by men and boys.
- 7 Any oblong glass vessel shaped like the old alchemist's urinal. obsolete
- 8 A room or structure used for urination: a latrine; an outhouse; a lavatory. obsolete
Adjective
- 1 Synonym of urinary. not-comparable
"If on the other hand it is to be used by a congregation, which as a rule, only occupy their church once, twice or three times a week, then I would suggest where it can be obtained that an improved “water closet” be used, and by this I mean a urinal and fecal basin, which can be kept clean by liberal flushing with water after each time it is used, and so trapped and ventilated as to absolutely protect the room in which it is placed from any contamination whatever.[…]This same closet can be arranged for urinal purposes by having the lid of the seat for each person attached to a hinge so that it can be raised up when desired to be used for micturation^([sic]) only."
Example
"A typical nurse will do such things as helping with a urinal bottle, and shaving in preparation for surgery!"
Common questions
What is a synonym for "urinal"?
Common synonyms include: backhouse, basement, bathroom, bedpan, bedside urinal, can.
How do you use "urinal" in a sentence?
A typical nurse will do such things as helping with a urinal bottle, and shaving in preparation for surgery!
How do you pronounce "urinal"?
Pronounced /jʊəˈraɪnəl/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English urinal, urynal, orynal, from Old French urinal, orinal (“vessel for urination”), from Latin ūrīnālis (“urinary”). Use for plumbing fixtures attested from 1851.
Etymology 2
From Middle French urinal, from Late Latin ūrīnālis, equivalent to urine + -al.