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Synonyms

T-shirt

American  
[tee-shurt] / ˈtiˌʃɜrt /
Or tee-shirt,

noun

  1. a lightweight, usually knitted, pullover shirt, close-fitting and with a round neckline and short sleeves, worn as an undershirt or outer garment.

T-shirt British  

noun

  1. a lightweight simple garment for the upper body, usually short-sleeved

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of T-shirt

First recorded in 1940–45; named from its shape

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.

Jake LaRavia pulled on his black T-shirt to reveal a motto befitting the Lakers’ newest iron man.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026

"I want to have the first T-shirt shop on the Moon," she says.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

The cheeky Midwestern T-shirt purveyor Raygun has an “Iowa Needs Insufferable Wenches” shirt that raises money for their efforts.

From Salon • Mar. 28, 2026

In July 1987, Gil, then 26 years old, donned a T-shirt with the phrase “Justice is a constant struggle” and set off for the clink in Kansas.

From Slate • Mar. 25, 2026

He helps me up, and I scoop up a handful of mud and press it against his chest, leaving a brown handprint on his soaked T-shirt.

From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison

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.