breeches

[ brich-iz, bree-chiz ]

/ ˈbrɪtʃ ɪz, ˈbri tʃɪz /

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noun (used with a plural verb)

Also called knee breeches. knee-length trousers, often having ornamental buckles or elaborate decoration at or near the bottoms, commonly worn by men and boys in the 17th, 18th, and early 19th centuries.

riding breeches.

Informal. trousers.

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Idioms about breeches

too big for one's breeches, asserting oneself beyond one's authority or ability.

Origin of breeches

1125–75; Middle English, plural of breech

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH breeches

breeches , britches

Words nearby breeches

breech baby, breech birth, breechblock, breechcloth, breech delivery, breeches, breeches buoy, breeches part, breeching, breechless, breechloader

How to use breeches in a sentence

There were men dressed in colonial garb complete with knee-breeches and powdered wigs.
New York’s Century-Old Time Capsule Is a Dud|Justin Jones|October 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
His clothes marked him as a man of the city, for we do not wear shooting jackets, and breeches and leather leggings in our valley.
The Soldier of the Valley|Nelson Lloyd
With them were two civilians, both in rough shooting-jackets and breeches, one about forty-five, the other a few years his junior.
The Doctor of Pimlico|William Le Queux
He still wore knee-breeches and dark cotton stockings on his nether limbs, but they were not the breeches.
Oliver Twist, Vol. II (of 3)|Charles Dickens

The Adventure Girls were dressed alike in brown breeches, leather boots, and khaki shirts with brown silk ties to match.
The Adventure Girls at K Bar O|Clair Blank
After that home and to bed, reading myself asleep, while the wench sat mending my breeches by my bedside.
Diary of Samuel Pepys, Complete|Samuel Pepys

British Dictionary definitions for breeches

breeches

/ (ˈbrɪtʃɪz, ˈbriː-) /

pl n

trousers extending to the knee or just below, worn for riding, mountaineering, etc

informal, or dialect any trousers

too big for one's breeches conceited; unduly self-confident

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

breeches

Idioms about breeches

Origin of breeches

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH breeches

Words nearby breeches

Words related to breeches

How to use breeches in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for breeches