corset

American  

[kawr-sit] / ˈkɔr sɪt /

noun

1. Sometimes corsets. a close-fitting undergarment, stiffened with whalebone or similar material and often capable of being tightened by lacing, enclosing the trunk: worn, especially by women, to shape and support the body; stays.

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verb (used with object)

1. to dress or furnish with or as if with a corset.

2. to regulate strictly; constrict.

corset British  

/ ˈkɔːsɪt /

noun

1. 1. a stiffened, elasticated, or laced foundation garment, worn esp by women, that usually extends from below the chest to the hips, providing support for the spine and stomach and shaping the figure

   2. a similar garment worn because of injury, weakness, etc, by either sex

2. informal a restriction or limitation, esp government control of bank lending

3. a stiffened outer bodice worn by either sex, esp in the 16th century

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verb

1. (tr) to dress or enclose in, or as in, a corset

Other Word Forms

• corsetless adjective
• uncorseted adjective
• well-corseted adjective

Etymology

Origin of corset

1225–75; Middle English < Anglo-French, Old French, equivalent to cors bodice, body + -et -et

Explanation

A corset is a fitted garment with stiff supports that cinch in the waist of the person who's wearing it. Corsets can be worn for back support, but women used to wear them to look skinny in their dresses. Historians believe that corsets have been around for more than three hundred years. As fashion has changed over time, the shape and construction of corsets has also changed — today, while corsets are mainly worn as costumes or for medical reasons, many women still wear "foundation garments," which differ from corsets only in material — the modern version is made of stretchy fabric rather than stiff bones or metal. Corset is an Old French word, from cors, or "body."

Example Sentences

Cizeron wore a black jumpsuit, while Fournier Beaudry was decked out in a pink corset reminiscent of Madonna's conical, Jean-Paul Gaultier-style bra.

From Barron's • Feb. 9, 2026

She’s long since given up pretending she’s still Jenny from the Block, and Condon has shaped the role of Ingrid to her like a corset.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 9, 2025

The singer also sports a pink fuzzy hat and white corset to inhabit the actor's 1999 VMAs appearance.

From Salon • Nov. 5, 2024

There is Karl self-medicating with chocolate, strapping himself into a corset and dancing alone in his room rather than braving the possibility of rejection.

From New York Times • Jun. 19, 2024

Finally she went into the bathroom and took off her corset, which she always wore, even on the days when she had a lot of work.

From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende

Related Words

• bodice
• underwear