Latrine: meaning, definitions and examples

Typically used in military or camp settings, refers to a basic toilet facility, often outdoors. Less common in everyday use.

• The soldiers used the latrine
• The campers dug a latrine

Commonly used in most English-speaking countries, especially in formal and informal contexts. Suitable for everyday conversation and professional settings.

• I need to find a toilet
• The office has clean toilets

Refers to a small, separate building containing a toilet, typically found in rural areas. Has an old-fashioned connotation.

• The farmhouse has an outhouse
• They built an outhouse behind the cabin

Popular in British English, more informal and often used in casual conversations.

• Where's the nearest loo? He went to the loo

Typically used in a military or camping setting to describe a communal toilet or basic sanitation facility.

• The soldiers built a temporary latrine next to the campsite.
• During the hiking trip, we were instructed to use the latrine for sanitation.

Often refers to an underground container for the temporary storage of liquid waste and sewage, giving a sense of something dirty or unpleasant.

• The backyard had an old cesspool that needed to be cleaned out.
• Living near an open cesspool is a health hazard.

Used to describe a place where waste and trash are disposed of, or informally, to describe a dirty, neglected place. This term can have a negative connotation when describing a place.

• The city's dump is located on the outskirts of town.
• This apartment is such a dump; it's filthy and poorly maintained.

Informally used to describe a very messy or dirty place, often in a home or personal space. This word has a negative connotation due to its association with pigs and their typically dirty living conditions.

• Your room looks like a pigsty! Clean it up immediately.
• His office is a pigsty; papers and clutter are everywhere.