Dunny is Australian and New Zealand slang for a toilet, originally an outdoor outhouse. If your Aussie-leaning kid says they are "going to the dunny" they mean the bathroom. Not concerning, just regional vocabulary. You may also hear it as "down at the dunny" or "dunny door." It is mildly informal but not vulgar. If your kid uses it constantly, ask them where they first heard it, not to police their speech but to understand which online community they are in.
dunny
Australian: toilet.
ˈdʌn.iDocumented since 1930s1930sSilenthistoricalCurrent349 viewsLast reviewed Jun 29, 2026＋ Add a definition
Etymology timeline
Born ~1933 · 1 year of recorded use20th centurySee decade cohort →
Seen in the wild
BlueskyMay 2026
Queasy tummy on the family dunny?
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Wikipedia: Dunedoo
Dunedoo is well known to Australian travellers due to its distinctive name (dunny is a colloquial Australian word for a toilet).
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Wikipedia: Outhouse
An outhouse — known variously across the English-speaking world otherwise as bog, dunny, long-drop, or privy — is a small structure, separate from a house or main building, which covers a toilet.
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Definitions
Australia
+389100%
#1·Apr 24, 2026AUS
Australian: toilet. Classic old-school Aussie slang — more at-home on a farm than in a gastropub, but still in daily use across the country. Pairs well with "bush dunny" and "long-drop dunny" for the rural variants.
See it in action
“Queasy tummy on the family dunny?”
"Where's the dunny?"
Origin: Derived from "dunnaken" / "dunnakin," an 18th-century English slang for an outhouse.
For parents
Dunny is Australian and New Zealand slang for a toilet, originally an outdoor outhouse. If your Aussie-leaning kid says they are "going to the dunny" they mean the bathroom. Not concerning, just regional vocabulary. You may also hear it as "down at the dunny" or "dunny door." It is mildly informal but not vulgar. If your kid uses it constantly, ask them where they first heard it, not to police their speech but to understand which online community they are in.
For ESL learners
Dunny is informal Australian and New Zealand English for toilet. Safe with Australians in casual settings; avoid in formal writing or with audiences unfamiliar with Australian slang. Formal equivalents: "toilet," "bathroom," "restroom" (American), "loo" (British). A common mistake is assuming it is general British English; it is specifically Antipodean. Do not use in business meetings even in Australia. Read or listen to the word in context several times before trying it yourself; the right register is harder to learn than the dictionary meaning.
Heard in the wild
“Queasy tummy on the family dunny?”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Dunedoo is well known to Australian travellers due to its distinctive name (dunny is a colloquial Australian word for a toilet).”
“An outhouse — known variously across the English-speaking world otherwise as bog, dunny, long-drop, or privy — is a small structure, separate from a house or main building, which covers a toilet.”
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Show 8 more dictionary-style senses (imported)
Australia
#2·May 2, 2026AUS
Slow to answer: stupid, unintelligent.
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Australia
#3·May 2, 2026AUS
Somewhat dun, dusky brownish.
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Australia
#4·May 2, 2026AUS
Somewhat deaf, hard of hearing.
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Australia
#5·May 2, 2026AUS
An outhouse: an outbuilding used as a lavatory.
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Australia
#6·May 2, 2026AUS
A passageway, particularly those connecting an outhouse to the main building.
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Australia
#7·May 2, 2026AUS
Any other place or fixture used for urination and defecation: a latrine; a lavatory; a toilet.
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Australia
#8·May 2, 2026AUS
A dummy, an unintelligent person.
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Australia
#9·May 2, 2026AUS
A cellar, basement, or underground passage.
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
Used in
Australia
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🇦🇺About Australian & NZ slang slang
Aussie and Kiwi vocabulary — bogan, daggy, brekkie, sheila, bach, jandals — the whole Antipodean lexicon, including outback dialect, surf and beach culture, and Sydney/Melbourne street slang.
See all Australian & NZ slang slang on Slangora.
Tags
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