sauna
Americannoun
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a bath that uses dry heat to induce perspiration, and in which steam is produced by pouring water on heated stones.
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a bathhouse or room, usually of wood, equipped for such a bath.
verb (used without object)
noun
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an invigorating bath originating in Finland in which the bather is subjected to hot steam, usually followed by a cold plunge or by being lightly beaten with birch twigs
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the place in which such a bath is taken
Etymology
Origin of sauna
Borrowed into English from Finnish around 1880–85
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
To help Shields recover from intense workouts, the primary suite has a sauna, steam room and hot tub.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026
Clouds of soap bubbles and cascading buckets of water follow, along with a coffee scrub and deeply moisturizing mask before a short sauna session to let everything absorb.
From Salon • Mar. 7, 2026
The opulent abode also comes complete with a theater room, sauna, party space, steam room, separate men’s and women’s lockers, a trampoline room with a 20-foot ceiling, offices, and outdoor sports courts.
From MarketWatch • Feb. 24, 2026
In the area with cold plunging and a sauna, the walls undulate with patterns that change color, designed to evoke arctic caves and volcanic rock.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 18, 2026
The heat rises from it like steam in a sauna.
From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
