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Synonyms

bodice

American  
[bod-is] / ˈbɒd ɪs /

noun

  1. a usually fitted vest or wide, lace-up girdle worn by women over a dress or blouse, especially a cross-laced, sleeveless outer garment covering the waist and bust, common in peasant dress.

  2. the part of a woman's dress covering the body between the neck or shoulders and the waist.

  3. Obsolete. stays or a corset.


bodice British  
/ ˈbɒdɪs /

noun

  1. the upper part of a woman's dress, from the shoulder to the waist

  2. a tight-fitting corset worn laced over a blouse, as in certain national costumes, or (formerly) as a woman's undergarment

"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 bodice

1560–70; bodies, plural of body

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.

“How beautiful she is in her shining raiment,” he rhapsodizes, “her birch-bark body, her sable bodice, her white cravat, her goffered ruff.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 23, 2026

The show opened with a series of violet, green and silver sequined tops in a 1920s style -- reproductions of a bodice designed by early 20th-century French designer Paul Poiret who Anderson namechecked as inspiration.

From Barron's • Jan. 21, 2026

While Elle, who hails from west Belfast, contrasted in a bubblegum pink dress with a tulle skirt and sparkly bodice.

From BBC • Nov. 28, 2025

Actor Jeremy Pope wore a beautifully constructed Maison Margiela bodice, which fashion theorist Rian Phin noted was aligned with Miller’s writing about “reconstruction of identity through fashion.”

From Salon • May 6, 2025

As he was speaking he reached into his bodice and took out a small gold fish.

From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez