seamstress

American  

[seem-stris, sem-] / ˈsim strɪs, ˈsɛm- /

noun

• seamstresses
  plural

1. a woman whose occupation is sewing.

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seamstress British  

/ ˈsɛmpstrɪs, ˈsɛmstrɪs /

noun

1. a woman who sews and makes clothes, esp professionally

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Gender

See -ess.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• seamstresses
  plural

Etymology

Origin of seamstress

First recorded in 1605–15; seamst(e)r + -ess

Explanation

A seamstress is a person whose job involves sewing clothing. You could be a seamstress if you hem your own pants, but most seamstresses work in factories sewing garments using sewing machines. Traditionally, a seamstress was a woman who sewed seams in clothes using a machine, or occasionally by hand. Seamstresses weren't considered as skilled as a dressmaker, who makes custom clothing, or a tailor, who alters clothes to fit a specific person. Each of these titles is a distinct job, but they are commonly used interchangeably. Some people use the newer, unisex term sewist instead of seamstress.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

seamstress seamstresses

Grant, who has been a seamstress for 15 years, said she was sworn to secrecy after the first phone call which was difficult as she was "not good at keeping secrets".

From BBC ● May 20, 2026

Husbands hired Lange and trained her as a seamstress.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 21, 2026

The son of a seamstress and a mechanic, Wirun was a straight-A student who studied at one of Thailand's top medical schools.

From Barron's ● Dec. 28, 2025

Tired of wearing the clothes that his seamstress mother made for him, Strachan raised money for shopping by working on a fishing boat, spending weeks at a time at sea.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2025

As a seamstress at a downtown department store, she repaired, altered, and steam-pressed clothing—work known and respected by both the black professional class and ordinary workers.

From "Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice" by Phillip Hoose

Time and again, the 11th-Century seamstresses who created it - who are believed to have been in England, probably Canterbury - were so skilled that the story they are telling looks like it's in 3D.

From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026

Originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, he spent his teenage years in the U.S., growing up in a community of seamstresses and store owners who always found reasons to do more rather than less.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 11, 2026

Most of the seamstresses have been at the atelier for 30 to 35 years.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 18, 2026

Two weeks before the show, young seamstresses were crocheting floral motifs in mohair and Japanese metallic thread at a south London studio overlooking the Thames river and Big Ben.

From Barron's ● Feb. 18, 2026

Even on the day before her wedding, the seamstresses took in her bodice, begging her to eat and fill out her gown.

From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García