sweater

American  

[swet-er] / ˈswɛt ər /

noun

• sweaters
  plural

1. a knitted jacket or jersey, in pullover or cardigan style, with or without sleeves.

2. a person or thing that sweats.

3. an employer who underpays and overworks employees.

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adjective

1. of, for, or pertaining to a sweater.

   sweater yarn; sweater fashions.

2. made like a sweater.

   a sweater dress.

sweater British  

/ ˈswɛtə /

noun

1. 1. a garment made of knitted or crocheted material covering the upper part of the body, esp a heavy one worn for warmth

   2. ( as modifier )

      a sweater dress

2. a person or thing that sweats

3. an employer who overworks and underpays his employees

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• sweaters
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of sweater

1520–30 sweater for def. 2; 1880–85 sweater for def. 1; sweat + -er ¹

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Explanation

A sweater is a knitted piece of clothing that covers the top part of your body. Some people have ugly Christmas sweater contests—and if you wear your neon green reindeer sweater covered with pom-poms, you just might win! In Britain it's a jumper, but in most of North America, it's a sweater. You put on a sweater either by pulling it over your head (if it's a pullover), or by putting your arms in the sleeves and shrugging it onto your shoulders (if it's a cardigan). As you might have guessed, sweater comes from sweat—the earliest sweaters were worn by rowers, and were intended "to produce sweating and reduce weight."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sweater sweaters

An autumn collaboration between Dunkin’ and L.L.Bean includes a sweater for your coffee cup.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026

Princess Diana's sweater featuring a black sheep among rows of white ones was sold for £920,000 at an auction by Sotheby's in New York in 2023.

From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026

Next year, he’ll give it another shot with a sweater.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026

She’s in a navy sweater; I’m starting to envy her knitwear.

From Slate ● May 10, 2026

Then he picks up a corner of the sweater I’m working on and rubs it lightly between his fingers.

From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy

WSJ | Buy Side: These are the supremely soft and well-made cashmere sweaters you’ll want to wear all season long.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

Knitting is no longer limited to making familiar items such as sweaters, hats, and blankets.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 4, 2026

When, in 1978, he decided to make bold-colored cashmere sweaters for women, a dye expert said he was “crazy to dye cashmere in these colors.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

Many wearing sweaters and thick coats, a reminder of the southern hemisphere winter from where they were coming, walked off the plane into the scorching Nigerian sun.

From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026

An abundance of knitted sweaters and scarves began to appear on the household staff, which gave a cozy feeling to the grand house.

From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood

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